Hannah Mecklem Small, later known as Hannah Mecklem Small Ludins, was born in New York City in 1903. As a teenager, Small enrolled in the Art Students League of New York, studying there with Alexander Stirling Calder and Boardman Robinson. She was a sculptor who worked in both wood and stone, winning numerous prizes. Working in the Maverick Art Colony, her neighbor at Woodstock was sculptor John Flannagan who encouraged her to begin direct carving, using stones found in the area as her initial forms. Small produced a number of works for the Works Progress Administration during her career, and won numerous awards including the Logan Medal of the Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1940. Her works were shown in major museums, including the Whitney, the Metropolitan and the National Academy of Design, all in New York City. Her sculpture may be found in both public and private collections; her papers and artwork can be found at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum in Woodstock, New York. Small died in Kingston, New York in 1992.
