She was born Sylvia Plimack in New York City, grew up in Queens, and attended the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan, after high school she was accepted into the program at Cooper Union in 1956.
She was born Sylvia Plimack in New York City, grew up in Queens, and attended the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan. She intended to study nursing at Hunter College, but her parents encouraged her to pursue her interest in art, and she was accepted into the program at Cooper Union in 1956.