In 1976 at age 63, Elisabeth Gordon Chandler founded Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, which later was accredited as a college and renamed Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. She was inspired to do so because at that time, representational art and the traditional education of artists were disappearing in the Western world. As its founder, Chandler set a course for the Academy and College with its mission to “provide the best education in drawing, painting, (illustration) and sculpture through study of the history, traditions, and principles of the fine arts, thereby establishing a comprehensive foundation for the development of the artist.” She remained active as a sculptor, Professor of Sculpture, and trustee of the College she founded until the very end of her life on November 29, 2006 at age 93.