[5] Grossman studied at Pratt Institute and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree under the tutelage of David Smith and Richard Lindner, in 1962.
[2][7] In 1972, Grossman signed the "We Have Had Abortions" campaign by Ms. magazine which called for an end to "archaic laws" limiting reproductive freedom, they encouraged women to share their stories and take action.
[8] Her image is included in the iconic 1972 poster Some Living American Women Artists by Mary Beth Edelson.
[9] Grossman relocated to Brooklyn in 1999 after being forced to leave her Chinatown studio which she had occupied for thirty-five years.EASCFA Exhibitions Her work also struck out in new directions with a group of sculptural assemblages that seem to echo the archaeology and violence involved in the upheaval of her move.
Grossman first used wood, generally soft and "found," such as old telephone poles, and carefully sculpts heads and bodies.
[10] The heads she sculpted early in her career were "blind" as the eyes were covered by leather; however, openings were always left for the noses.
These utilize found leather of varying shades to create abstract shapes that suggest bodily forms, particularly genitals.
[16] Grossman says the sculptures refer to her "bondage in childhood," but others have said that her work may flirt with the potential of female artists who had not yet gained prominence in the 1960s.
[3][16] "Grossman's paintings, collages, and sculpture come out of a distinctly individual understanding of the psychological reality of contemporary life.
After an operation to rebuild part of her hand, she was left with limited mobility, which is what led her to go back to her work with collage and painting.