{"id":86512,"date":"2026-01-01T13:59:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T13:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/86512\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T13:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T13:59:13","slug":"remembering-a-staten-island-feminist-artist-who-fought-for-her-historic-stapleton-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/86512\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering a Staten Island feminist artist who fought for her historic Stapleton community"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2013 For Cynthia Mailman, making a statement was a way of life. <\/p>\n

As a feminist artist, she used her paint brush to question God\u2019s gender and urge women to control their own bodies. As a longtime Stapleton resident and civic leader, she rallied against projects that threatened the historic integrity of her neighborhood. And true to her Jewish heritage, she spoke out boldly against antisemitism.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t matter if she raised a few eyebrows or turned a few heads along the way with her tough-love, no-nonsense style. That meant she was getting her message across. <\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia Mailman at one of her exhibits. (Photo courtesy Councilmember Kamillah Hanks)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

Ms. Mailman\u2019s death on Dec. 19 in Calvary Hospital, Brooklyn, inspired praise for her courage, charisma and conviction. She was just two weeks shy of her 83rd birthday and, by all accounts, a force of nature through her final days. <\/p>\n

\u201cCynthia was bigger than life, with a powerful personality,\u201d said Staten Island artist Diane Matyas. \u201cShe never left a room without making a statement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Councilmember Kamillah Hanks and artist Cynthia Mailman pose for a selfie at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Livingston.Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Cynthia spoke, people listened,\u201d said Kamillah Hanks, City Councilmember and a Stapleton neighbor who appreciated her mentorship. \u201cIf she believed in something, she\u2019d go to the mat for it. She was a warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"mailman\"The Councilmember and the artist attend an exhibitThird-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

Hanks was one of dozens of friends Ms. Mailman reached out to as she battled pancreatic cancer under hospice care. Many of them gathered at her bedside over the last few weeks of her life. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe was pleased to get visitors and the exchanges were loving,\u201d said Rabbi Gerald Sussman of Temple Emanu-El, Port Richmond, where Ms. Mailman attended services and sang in the choir, and where her funeral was held on Dec. 28. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe was overwhelmed and grateful for the support from her friends,\u201d added his wife, Rebbetzin Bonita Sussman. \u201cPeople were streaming in, day and night. It was one big love fest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia and Silver at home in Stapleton. (Photo courtesy Dr. Phil Rosen)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

Yiddish roots<\/p>\n

Born on New Year\u2019s Eve in 1942 to Russian immigrants, Cynthia Mailman grew up in the Bronx with a younger sister, Pamela. Yiddish and English were spoken in their bilingual home.<\/p>\n

By age 10, young Cynthia had completed her first oil painting and was traveling to Manhattan for classes at the Arts Students League of New York. She graduated from the former School of Industrial Arts, now the High School of Art and Design, and earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in art and art education from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and later, an MFA at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. <\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia Mailman discusses her painting, \u201cGod,\u201d at a reception for her solo show, \u201cOrigins of God,\u201d at Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum, Glassboro, N.J., in October 2023. (Photo by Kristin Qualls, courtesy of Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

She taught art in the New York City public school system, at the former Livingston College of Rutgers University and at Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York. <\/p>\n

Ms. Mailman was always ready to speak up about the issues of the day. As an active supporter of the civil rights movement, she was front and center for the March on Washington in August 1963. The following year, she was in Flushing Meadows Corona Park to demand, \u201cWe don\u2019t want a World\u2019s Fair — We want a Fair World.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia and Silver on the rooftop of their Brooklyn Heights apartment building, circa 1960s. (Photo courtesy Dr. Phil Rosen)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

She met her future husband, Silver Sullivan, at Pratt, while he was pursuing a degree in industrial design. They were married in Brooklyn Borough Hall on July 30, 1965, with a backyard reception in Castleton Corners, and began a loving and colorful partnership that would span 60 years.<\/p>\n

The couple lived in Brooklyn Heights and California before settling in Stapleton the 1970s. Ms. Mailman immersed herself in the vibrant bohemian arts scene of New York City, and began advocating for women artists who were struggling to make a name for themselves in male-dominated galleries. <\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia Mailman with her painting \u201cGod,\u201d in April 2007. (Photo by Andrew D. Hottle, Rowan University)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

The artist as feminist<\/p>\n

In the spirit of feminist solidarity, Ms. Mailman joined a dozen women artists in 1978 for a collaborative installation titled, \u201cThe Sister Chapel,\u201d a playful reference to the Sistine Chapel. Each woman was asked to present her concept of a female role model. <\/p>\n

Simply titled \u201cGod,\u201d Ms. Mailman\u2019s towering acrylic on canvas at 9 feet tall imagined the deity as a nude woman. The figure\u2019s waist-length, dark hair hinted it was a self-portrait, adding to its intrigue. <\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia Mailman talkede with a reporter about her life in Stapleton since 1971. (Staten Island Advance\/ Jan Somma-Hammel) Jan Somma-Hammel<\/p>\n

\u201cA sister chapel should have a sister God,\u201d Ms. Mailman declared during a panel discussion. \u201cI thought about what God should look like; it took me a long time to come up with an actual concept of what she would be. I thought about how we are supposed to be in the image of God. And so I decided to use myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

God would not be ashamed of her body, Ms. Mailman insisted. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a nude,\u201d she said in another interview. \u201cThere\u2019s something about how in-your-face it is. She\u2019s 9-feet-tall and when you stand in front of her, you\u2019re sort of in front of a vagina.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Mailman\u2019s \u201cGod\u201d continues to inspire at the Rowan University Art Gallery & Museum in Glassboro, N.J., where \u201cThe Sister Chapel\u201d returned to public view in 2016 and is now part of the permanent collection. <\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia Mailman prepares a soup during the Mud Lane Society’s potluck soup supper held at Bob and Linda McAndrew’s home. The eating began after caroling throughout the neighborhood. (Photo by Bill Lyons\/Staten Island Advance)Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a major statement by these artists about women,\u201d said Andrew D. Hottle, art history professor and curator at Rowan who worked closely with Ms. Mailman. He praised her for \u201cadvocating for opportunities in the visual arts at a time when it was very difficult for women to get the recognition they deserved.\u201d <\/p>\n

Her final solo show, \u201cThe Origins of God,\u201d was presented at Rowan in 2023 and at the Carter Burden Gallery, Manhattan, in 2024. That exhibit \u201ccircled back to her ongoing challenge of the God concept as inherently male,\u201d Hottle explained. <\/p>\n

Her last participation in a group show was in September, marking the 50th anniversary of SOHO20. Ms. Mailman was a founding member of the art gallery and cooperative established as a voice for women and marginalized artists. <\/p>\n

In dozens of solo and group exhibitions, her work was shown at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, the Staten Island Museum and the Carter Burden Gallery. It has been collected by the Akron Art Museum in Ohio, the New Jersey State Museum, the Everson Museum in Syracuse and the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University. <\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia Mailman joined protesters at Silver Lake Park Road last April. (Photo courtesy Dr. Phil Rosen)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

An honor, then a loss<\/p>\n

Shortly after the Twin Towers opened in 1973, Ms. Mailman won a public art competition to paint a 54-foot-long mural ringing the walls of the World Trade Center PATH train terminal that she would call, \u201cCommuter Landscape.\u201d <\/p>\n

She was awarded a $10,000 stipend from the competition, sponsored by the federally funded CETA Artists Project, and spent a year working on the mural in a windowless studio in the sub-basement of the World Trade Center.<\/p>\n

Toiling nights, weekends and holidays, she interacted with maintenance workers, police officers, newspaper sellers and food vendors stationed around the World Trade Center. Port Authority officials often brought VIP guests to see her working on the project, according to an oral history produced by the 9\/11 Memorial & Museum.<\/p>\n

More than 100,000 commuters a day viewed the giant mural that used pastel shades to juxtapose technology and transportation with the natural environment. Highlighting the hulking infrastructure of the Pulaski Skyway, it was intended to uplift commuters passing through the gritty urban area.<\/p>\n

On Feb. 26, 1993, Ms. Mailman was at home in Stapleton when she learned about the first bombing of the World Trade Center. \u201cCommuter Landscape\u201d had been attached to a wall abutting the parking garage where the bomb had exploded. <\/p>\n

\"ElectionCynthia Mailman is excited that she got to vote for three women in a recent election. (Staten Island Advance\/Jan Somma-Hammel)Jan Somma-Hammel<\/p>\n

Two days later, she and her husband traveled to the towers to confirm the mural\u2019s fate. <\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to find the teeniest scrap of the canvas,\u201d she recounted in an interview. A police officer confirmed it had been \u201cblown to smithereens,\u201d and she acknowledged that the loss of human life was more significant.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t the first time Ms. Mailman had to cope with the loss of her artwork. In January 1982, a fire in the Stapleton building where she stored her paintings destroyed nearly all of her early work covering a 15-year period. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so grateful that no one was hurt, that we saved what we managed to save,\u201d she told a reporter a month later. \u201cI go along for a few days, but then I have nightmares. I see images of the paintings that burned. I wake up and cry.\u201d<\/p>\n

She confided to a friend that losing her artwork was like losing a child. <\/p>\n

Perhaps by divine intervention, the only painting to survive the fire was \u201cGod,\u201d the 9-foot nude she had created for \u201cThe Sister Chapel\u201d project. <\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia Mailman joined protesters at Silver Lake Park Road last April. (Photo courtesy Dr. Phil Rosen)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

Community protector<\/p>\n

Ms. Mailman was passionate about environmental issues impacting her North Shore neighborhood and Staten Island as a whole. Never reluctant to speak her mind loudly and publicly, she was a frequent participant at Community Board meetings and rallies. <\/p>\n

As a founder and president of the Mud Lane Society for the Renaissance of Stapleton, she helped establish the St. Paul\u2019s Historic District and galvanized community support against a sugar refinery, a coal slurry pipeline and a NASCAR raceway. <\/p>\n

In 2013, she expressed concerns about a modern addition to the historic Stapleton library. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe would just like to see the completed building have some continuity with what\u2019s there, and not be an ugly, modern, glass box that\u2019s going to look more like some midtown-Manhattan office building,\u201d she told an Advance\/SILive reporter.<\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Cynthia Mailman, at rear, surrounded by friends at a dinner party.Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

Last April, Ms. Mailman joined Transportation Alternatives to protest the reopening of Silver Lake Park Road after its closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sporting a red beret in a Facebook photo, she held up a sign declaring in bold letters, \u201cNo cars in our park!\u201d and proudly reported, \u201cWe had a big crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n

In spite of the outcry, the roadway reopened to vehicular traffic on weekdays a month later. <\/p>\n

Ms. Mailman could also be a project supporter. In the early 2000s, she favored a proposal to transform the shuttered Navy Homeport into a movie-making site called Stapleton Studios. The proposal ultimately failed to win city approval. <\/p>\n

For the Mud Lane Society, she organized tours to showcase Victorian homes lining the streets of Stapleton. <\/p>\n

\"mailman\"The couple at the Jersey Shore, circa 2020. (Photo courtesy Dr. Phil Rosen)Third-Party-Submitted<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the last quarter century and more, Cynthia was a fierce and respected advocate for Stapleton and Mud Lane,\u201d said District Attorney Michael McMahon, a former City Council member. \u201cAs a civic leader, she helped us renovate Tappen Park and was a leading supporter in helping me landmark the Mud Lane Historic District. Her passionate outlook was seen in her strong opinions as she also stirred excitement and powerful emotions in everyone she met and everything she did and created. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey sure don\u2019t make them like Cynthia anymore,\u201d the district attorney continued, \u201cand her passing leaves a huge hole in the fabric of the arts and culture as well as the civic fabric of Staten Island.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loyal and good friend<\/p>\n

When she wasn\u2019t painting or protesting, Ms. Mailman was an avid birdwatcher who participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count on Staten Island. <\/p>\n

At holiday house parties, she regaled guests with spirited caroling around the piano as they welcomed the New Year and celebrated her birthday. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who met her didn\u2019t forget her,\u201d said West Brighton artist Susan Grabel. \u201cShe was a loyal and good friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was always well-dressed and put-together,\u201d recalled Andrew Hottle, curator. \u201cShe was confident in her own world view, assertive but never overbearing. And she was a great storyteller.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staten Island artist Diane Matyas said Ms. Mailman and her husband worked well together, renovating neighborhood buildings and often renting them to artists, \u201ctheir favorite tenants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"mailman\"Silver Sullivan and Cynthia Mailman enjoy a Tuesday morning skating session at Chelsea Piers in 1996. (Michael McWeeney\/Staten Island Advance)advance<\/p>\n

Recently, they took up ice skating and frequented the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink in Manhattan. \u201cThey had an unbreakable bond. As a couple, there was none like them,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

They enjoyed snorkeling in the Caribbean reefs, and traveling through Central America and Europe. Italy and Mexico City were favorite destinations. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe were Yin and Yang,\u201d Silver Sullivan confirmed. \u201cWe were compatible in life, religion and politics. It was a symbiotic relationship, and we made everything click.\u201d<\/p>\n

Survivors and arrangements<\/p>\n

Ms. Mailman\u2019s survivors include her husband, Silver Sullivan; her brother-in-law, Dr. Philip Rosen, and a nephew, Julian Rosen. She was predeceased by her sister, Pamela Rosen, and her parents, Julius Mailman and Claire Russler Mailman. <\/p>\n

A funeral service was held Dec. 28 in Menorah Chapels, New Springville. Burial was in Mount Hebron Cemetery, Queens. <\/p>\n

Condolences<\/p>\n

Janice Monger, president and CEO, Staten Island Museum: \u201cWe are deeply saddened about the passing of Staten Island artist and activist Cynthia Mailman. She was a longtime supporter of the museum with several pieces in the permanent collection and a history of being featured in exhibitions. Cynthia was honored by the museum at the 2009 gala. Three of her pieces were part of the museum\u2019s inaugural exhibition at Snug Harbor, \u2018Staten Island SEEN,\u2019 in 2015, documenting the changing landscapes on the Island. More recently, Cynthia generously donated the Mud Lane Society\u2019s papers to the museum archive in 2024, documenting her time as president of the organization, which served a critical role in the preservation movement on Staten Island. Our deepest condolences to her family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kamillah Hanks, City Councilmember and friend (via Facebook): \u201cCynthia was one of the proudest, fiercest and strongest women I\u2019ve ever had the pleasure and privilege of knowing. Artist, activist, businesswoman and civic leader, Cynthia taught me what it was to truly fight for one\u2019s community and rights. And she fought everyone about everything; the rights for women, artists, antisemitism and the historic preservation of communities and neighborhoods. I will miss our spirited conversations, I\u2019ll miss her advice. My sincerest condolences to Silver Sullivan and her nephew, Julian; you all should find peace in knowing that Cynthia lived an incredible life, not one moment missed, not one space spared. Godspeed, my dear friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kenneth Mitchell, executive director, Staten Island Zoo: \u201cWith the passing of civic leader Cynthia Mailman, Staten Island has lost one of its most unflinchingly passionate fighters for the community. As North Shore Council member, I had worked closely with Cynthia on such projects as the renovation of the historic Stapleton Library. I respected her no-nonsense candid input. She made it clear her priority was looking out for the residents of Stapleton and beyond. Cynthia left a lasting positive impact, that\u2019s for certain. We are grateful that she felt so deeply and worked so diligently for the good of the community.\u201d <\/p>\n

Staten Island artist Diane Matyas: \u201cCynthia Mailman was one of the first artists I met after I arrived on Staten Island in the fall of 1985. After months of work, I knew many artists and denizens of Stapleton, including the dealers at her favorite vintage shops. Cynthia introduced me to Elizabeth Egbert, with whom I became a partner in public art. Cynthia often advised me in those early days, \u2018Choose fame over fortune, kid,\u2019 when making an art career. I have always believed Cynthia Mailman to be invincible, and like her famous self-portrait as \u2018God,\u2019 a key part of \u2018The Sister Chapel\u2019 exhibition of that era, she will always stand tall, proud and powerful. She casts a long shadow as an artist and community member on Staten Island, and will be sorely missed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2013 For Cynthia Mailman, making a statement was a way of life. As a feminist…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86513,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-86512","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}