Lorraine Arden

Lorraine Arden, 90, passed away peacefully at home on December 5, 2025, in the loving embrace of her daughter, Elisa. Born June 29, 1935, in Shenandoah, Iowa, as Ann Karen Jacobson, to Paul and Marion Jacobson, Lorraine lived a life devoted to God, to her family, and to her art.

Lorraine knew from the fourth grade that she was called to be an artist. She graduated high school a year early to attend Drake University, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting. She later received a Graduate Fellowship in Painting from the University of Illinois. In 1963, she was honored with the American Academy of Arts and Letters Rosenthal Award, given to a young painter of exceptional promise who had not yet received due recognition. Her artistic journey continued at Glen Echo, where she studied bronze casting and stone carving. Lorraine was remarkably gifted across mediums-oil painting, pastels, cast metals, cement, wood, stone, clay, mixed media, and even aerial plexiglass sculpture.

Her work was featured in countless exhibitions around the world. Lorraine also curated shows both in the U.S. and abroad, including Sculpture to Touch, a groundbreaking exhibit created to allow the visually impaired to experience art through touch. During the 1970s and '80s, she played a vibrant role in the Washington, D.C. art community, helping to found the Washington Women's Art Center. She co-authored Washington Art: A Guide to Galleries, Art Consultants, and Museums (1988), and later founded the Portrait Connection, a matchmaking service for local portrait artists.

Above all, Lorraine saw her art as a spiritual calling. Her work explored inner experience and sought to guide others toward a deeper connection with God. She believed that the essence shared by the world's major religions was far greater than the differences that divide them, and she hoped her art would help others discover that unity. Lorraine was a devoted member of Subud for more than 60 years, finding in its latihan a direct spiritual experience that shaped her both as an artist and as a human being. In her final days, her Subud family surrounded her with prayer, love, and support.

Lorraine was a loving and devoted wife, mother, and friend. She encouraged her children in every passion they pursued and wished only for them to find happiness and fulfillment. She was generous, nonjudgmental, and endlessly willing to help anyone in need. Her kindness, humility, and steadfast care for others defined her life. She will be missed beyond measure by her family, her Subud community, her friends, and her fellow artists. What she leaves behind-a legacy of love, strength, spirituality, and creative courage-will continue to live in the hearts of all who were blessed to know her.

Lorraine is survived by her daughter and devoted caregiver, Elisa; her son Mark (wife Katie) Arden; her daughter Sylvia (husband Paul) Josey; and her seven grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 62 years, Harvey, and by her eldest son, Tom.

A Celebration of Lorraine's Life and Art will be held on January 24, 2026 at 2pm at the Amani Center in Beltsville, MD. Details will be forthcoming.