Artist Lecture: Guerrilla Girls

Guerrilla Girls

by David Kieckhefer

We had the pleasure of seeing the Guerilla Girls speak at MIAD on February 22, 2017. When they first introduced themselves, they had one question they wanted us to ask ourselves and sit with for a while: “Has anything changed?” 

55 women have been members of the Guerilla Girls since they began 31 years ago in 1985.

One thing they are trying to educate others on, including those who already identify as feminists, is intersectional feminism.  Intersectional feminism shows us a more diverse feminist identity where women experience oppression and discrimination based on race, class, ethnicity religion and sexual orientation. For example, a white woman is penalized by her gender but has the advantage of race, while a black woman is disadvantaged by her gender and her race. A Latina lesbian experiences discrimination because of her ethnicity, her gender, and her sexual orientation.

Another question they had for us was “Where are women artists in the world? – Answer: Underneath the men.” The National Gallery of Art houses 98% male artist works and 99% of those artists are white.

One of their most well know works is a billboard they were commissioned to do in Manhattan. “Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” Less than 5% of the artists are women, yet more than 85% of the nudes are of women.