Rina Kundu Little

Rina was the loving wife of Jon Little and the sister of Sanjit Kundu of Palm Springs, CA, and Krishna Kundu of Bethesda, MD. She was preceded in death by her parents, Mukul Ranjan Kundu (2010) and Ranu Kundu (2024). Her stepchildren and grandchildren from Jon’s first marriage are Quentin Conklin-Little (Charlotte, NC), Cole Conklin-Little (Charlotte, NC), Raleigh, and Markell Conklin-Little (Atlanta, GA). Jon and Rina married in DC in 2014 and shared a very loving marriage.

Rina was born in Mumbai, India, during one of her father’s many international research appointments that took the family abroad. She grew up in College Park and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland in 1988. She also earned a master’s degree in art history and a Certificate in Museum Studies, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1997. She worked for several years at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, before earning her Ph.D. in Art Education from Ohio State University in 2008. Her academic teaching career began as an Assistant Professor of Art Education at the University of North Texas from 2003 to 2010. She then moved to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she taught from 2010 to 2017, followed by a two-year appointment at the University of Texas at Austin. In 2019, she joined Texas Tech University as an Associate Professor of Art Education with tenure, a position she held until 2025, when she retired due to health reasons. In addition to her full-time positions, Rina served as a consultant with the Lynden Sculpture Garden’s Innovative Educators Institute (IEI) starting in 2016, a role she greatly valued and enjoyed. 

Rina was a highly respected educator, scholar, and valued colleague. She won numerous academic awards and received too many fellowships and grants to list—all of which supported her travel and research. She published articles in her field’s most respected journals and delivered countless outstanding presentations at professional conferences. As a colleague, Rina seamlessly blended kindness and friendliness with a creative, brilliant mind. She had a real flair for administrative work. At professional conferences, former graduate students and colleagues would jostle to be by her side for dinner, after-dinner drinks, and conversation, with Rina holding court like Dorothy Parker at the Algonquin Round Table, full of laughter and witty asides. 

Adept at teaching, writing, and research, Rina was a passionate advocate for the idea that engagement with the arts can help us envision more collaborative futures—ones less constrained by discriminatory racial-identity categories. She especially loved art that centered on performance, reciprocity, and give-and-take between artists and their audiences. As Rina stated, “My research addresses the politics of knowing and is most interested in performative acts of inhabiting spaces creatively.”

Working at the Lynden Innovative Educators Institute (IEI) allowed Rina to design topics and themes that fully reflected her place-based aesthetic. When the Lynden staff learned of Rina’s passing, Anna Grosch wrote this response: “Rina loved working at the Lynden, and we loved working with her. She had an enormous impact on our philosophies, educational strategies, and how we approach certain things at Lynden. This is devastating news. Many of us who knew her felt her presence during the summer lab this year. She will be missed. Rina will be remembered, and her legacy will carry forward through the people and work she inspired.”

The Lynden has announced plans to establish the Rina Kundu Little Innovative Educator Scholarship for a K-12 teacher participating in the IEI (see below for donation details).

In another touching tribute, the National Art Education Association (NAEA) Research Commission (on which she served as Museum Division Commissioner) will feature this powerful memorial to Rina in its upcoming newsletter:

“Rina will be remembered as a brilliant scholar, kind, funny, ethical, creative, and caring woman who made an indelible impact on art education and will be deeply missed by friends, family, and her art education community. Her powerful spirit, resilience, and integrity of work impacted countless lives in meaningful ways. She was a steadfast advocate for students and possessed an extraordinary ability to make complex ideas clear, accessible, and engaging. Her scholarship challenged the field to think critically while remaining grounded in care, ethics, and community.

Commission members also remembered Rina's sharp intellect and thoughtful presence. Past chair Aaron Knochel reflected that she had a remarkable capacity to cut to the key points and encourage others to examine their role in how power operates within educational and institutional spaces. Her insight, generosity, and commitment to justice enriched every conversation and left a lasting impression on colleagues throughout the profession.

As we move into a new year of collaboration and research, we do so with gratitude for Rina's many contributions to our profession and community. Her legacy will continue through the scholarship she produced, the students and colleagues she inspired, and the critical questions she encouraged us to keep asking. The Research Commission extends its deepest condolences to her family, friends, and loved ones.”

Life’s pleasures for Rina included entertaining family and friends with her generous, expertly prepared meals (what she called ‘three meat dinners’), traveling, visiting art galleries and museums, playing cards, board games, watching films and detective series, and collecting art and illustrated children’s books. Rina carried on a tradition passed down from her mother, Ranu, of preparing traditional Indian meals – curries, fish, and perfectly spiced vegetables, all with a flair all her own. Friends and family always looked forward to these special dinners. Rina and her family enjoyed many happy trips and get-togethers over the years. She will be dearly missed by everyone.

Donations to support the Rina Kundu Little Innovative Educator Scholarship for a K-12 teacher participating in the Innovative Educators Institute can be made to the Lynden Sculpture Garden, 2145 W. Brown Deer Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53217, or online at https://form.jotform.com/240786200151144.