Frances Hynes Oral History

Frances Hynes is an artist and a St. John's University alumna who grew up in Bayside during the 1950s. Hynes recalls that the neighborhood landscape during that time included dirt roads, vacant land, wildlife, wetlands, and two nearby golf courses; she also recalls witnessing significant land development, including construction of the Clearview Expressway and the Throgs Neck Bridge. Hynes began taking formal art classes at St. John's University during the 1960s. She describes her experiences as one of the first students at the university's newly-created art department, including her small class sizes, her exposure to New York City galleries and museums, and the restrictions she faced as a female student. Hynes discusses her postgraduate education and her subsequent career in painting and teaching. Additionally, Hynes highlights several photographs documenting her mother's side of the family working as farmers in Astoria before and after World War I.