Born in Brooklyn, Cynthia attended Bard College for two years before transferring to Yale, as women weren't accepted directly from high school in 1950. She taught at Long Island University for 56 years. Additionally, she paints, draws, and created 18 art-related books, including two college texts and 100 NY Painters, 100 NY Photographers, and 100 NY Calligraphers. Recently, she wrote, in script, eight rhymed haiku books for children and adults to encourage handwriting, which is no longer taught in most schools. Next year, 2025, will mark her 70th commencement anniversary.
In our latest Q&A, she shares the impact that her professors had on her career and how she stays connected to the Yale community.
Why Yale?
In high school, an artist classmate said he was going to the best college for art, Yale, and so I said, “That's where I will go as well!” However, women weren't accepted as undergraduates at that time. I had an interview with Josef Albers, who advised me to attend another college for two years and reapply as a transfer student, which I did. And then I had three wonderful years at Yale's School of Art!
What is your most enduring memory of your time at Yale?
In addition to studying color, drawing, calligraphy, painting, and sculpture with the best instructors imaginable, I studied Italian, all the way up to Dante's “Divine Comedy” with the distinguished Erich Auerbach.
What is the biggest lesson you learned during your time at Yale and how does that shape who you are today?
Under Josef Albers, I learned to see the interaction of colors, which has influenced my painting to this day.
How did your time at Yale shape your identity?
At the time, women weren't admitted as undergraduates to Yale, and so upon graduation, I was seen as rather special in many professional and personal ways. This gave me an advantage, particularly when applying for a teaching position, and I taught at Long Island University for 56 years.
How have you stayed engaged with the Yale community since graduating?
I have maintained friendships with many classmates, some quite distinguished artists, and I participate in weekly YaleWomen's Zoom events.
What were your favorite spaces at Yale or in New Haven? Why?
Of course, the art studios on campus. But in New Haven I loved attending the tryouts of future Broadway plays at the Schubert Theater.
What aspects of Yale do you feel like you talk about most often to people who didn’t go to school here? Why?
How lucky I was to have studied with luminaries such as Josef Albers, Jose de Rivera, and Erich Auerbach, among others.
