Rita Dunn Ludden

Fine artist, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Katherine “Cookie” Rita (Dunn) Ludden died at age 96 on Thursday, 23 December 2021. She is survived by her children: Audrey Gangloff (North Syracuse, NY); Kenneth Ludden (Prescott, AZ); Denise Ludden (Reston, VA); Stephen Ludden (Fairfax, VA); Eric Ludden (Fredericksburg, VA); and Peter Ludden (Cicero, NY). She is also survived by 20 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her late husband, H. Rowland Ludden (Falls Church, VA).

Rita was born on 28 August 1925 in Syracuse, N.Y., to William Dennis and Katherine Isley Dunn. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1947 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. While at Syracuse University, she joined the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and served as the Chapter President, and she joined Alpha Xi Alpha, honorary design fraternity. She moved to New York City and worked as a Textile Designer at Foremost Studios, Victoria Studio, and E. Millus and Company. She also worked as a freelance advertising artist.

During this time, she and "Butch" developed their relationship, married on 19 June 1948, and moved to Tallahassee, Florida. She began to attend Florida State University (FSU) where she went on to receive her Master’s degree in Fine Arts degree, becoming the first woman in Florida State University’s history to receive a master’s degree in art. This was a phenomenal achievement as less than 1.2% of women in America were pursuing careers during the 1940s. She was also inducted into the prestigious Phi Kappa Phi educational honorary fraternity while at FSU. She completed her Master of Fine Arts degree program while pregnant with her first child, Audrey, who was born in 1951. While at FSU, she was the recipient of the Graduate Teaching Fellowship, which she fulfilled as an Instructor in Design. As part of her acceptance of her diploma, some of her art works were acquired as part of the prestigious FSU permanent collection. Some of her work, which promoted images of African Americans and women, were controversial, yet received wide acclaim.

Upon graduation, they moved to Washington, D.C., where she taught Design at the Abbott Art School, they continued expanding their family, and she began doing solo and group exhibitions of her work (which she continued until her final one-woman show in 2019 at the Silas Burke House in Burke, Virginia). During the next decade in Washington, D.C., she and her husband were very active in politics, working to support the Fair Housing and Equal Employment Act, which later became the Civil Rights Act. She was active in establishing chapters of the League of Women Voters; assisted with many political campaigns; actively supported the effort to successfully obtain United Nations (U.N.) membership for the League, which was the first non-sovereign state to be granted membership to the U.N.; and later also hosted Presidential Debates.

Rita was proficient as a pianist, and while raising her family and actively pursuing her career, she also accompanied many choirs, amateur and semi-professional productions, and professional vocalists, including Mary Francis Sheedy.

When her husband became the leader of a “think-tank” at the Army War College, the family moved to Carlisle, PA, in 1961. During the Carlisle years, Rita became very active with solo artist shows, group exhibitions, featured collections in art galleries, and inclusion in national and international exhibitions. Movie star Dale Evans commissioned Rita to paint a watercolor as a birthday present for her husband, Roy Rogers, which led to another commission for the CEO of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Additionally, she worked on home portraits and watercolor commissions for many owners of historic and celebrated homes across America.

Throughout her life, her works have been acquired in private collections worldwide, including South Africa, England, China, Philippines, Brazil, France, Latvia, Israel, Germany, Holland, Iceland, and many in the United States. Her works have been purchased and displayed by the National Institutes of Health, United States Department of State, and others. She had exhibits in seven art galleries, was featured in 14 solo exhibitions, and participated in 34 group exhibitions worldwide. She taught in six educational institutions and created private group studies in various fine art media. She also created costume and set designs for nine theatrical productions, both in the United States and abroad.

Her work has been featured in two U.S. State Department programs, for which her colored pencil work, "14 Bowls", was featured on the cover of the official U.S. State Department catalog of that program. It was also included in the "Art in Embassies Exhibition" at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and in the "Women Artists of the United States" calendar which was distributed to U.S. Embassies worldwide. She has been a featured artist in the following publications from the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA): "The Best of Colored Pencil" CPSA; "Colored Pencil Techniques" by Judy Martin; CPSA "Signature Showcase" publication; "The Best of Colored Pencil 2" CPSA; "Encyclopedia of Coloured Pencil Techniques" British publication; and "Best of Colored Pencil 4" CPSA.

Rita's artwork, music, activism, and teaching has enhanced many lives, and she has left the world a far more beautiful and better place by her presence in it. She is a beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother to her blood relatives, and is the "mother figure" for all the sports teams her children participated in throughout their lives. Her passing is greatly mourned, but her presence in life is widely celebrated.

The family would like to express our sincere gratitude to Capital Caring Hospice and the staff at Emilia Assisted Living for their care of Rita and for guiding us through this difficult time. We also want to thank

everyone at Saint Ambrose Catholic Church and Demaine Funeral Home – Springfield for being so accommodating.

A visitation for Rita will be held on Monday, 03 January 2022 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Rd., Springfield, VA 22151. (It will be livestreamed on Demaine’s Facebook page beginning ten minutes prior.)

The Funeral mass will be on Tuesday, 04 January 2022 at 11:00am at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 3901 Woodburn Rd., Annandale, VA 22003. Burial will be at 12:30pm at Columbia Gardens Cemetery, 3411 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201 with a reception immediately following in the cemetery property event building.

Flowers can be sent to Demaine Funeral Home, and fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.demainefunerals.com for the Ludden family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Capital Caring Hospice, 3180 Fairview Park Dr, Suite 500; Falls Church, VA 22042, or to Emilia Assisted Living, Inc., 6533 Ashlawn Ct., Springfield, VA 22150.

Mask are required for all indoor Activities.