Artist Talk- Guerrilla Girls

The Guerrilla Girls

by: Allison Krenz

On February 22nd The famous Guerrilla Girls visited MIAD to talk about their movement. In a hot, crowded room, the Guerrilla Girls emerged, masks and bananas included, to talk about intersectional Feminism, and why now, more than ever, they need to be making work. 

While carefully avoiding his name, and instead replacing it with "45" The Guerrilla Girls addressed how we are living in a time where politically, women are not in a safe place. Most of the Guerrilla girls' work has focused around museums, and the wage gap, which is what defines most conventional feminist arguments; but the Guerrilla Girls should also be recognized as artists who expand their work to include every issue. Women need to pay attention to the political climate right now, as our reproductive rights and in the case of women of color, civil rights, are currently in the hands of conservative men.

Women have the power to be heard, and with recent Women's marches across the country, now is the time to spread Feminism as far as it can go, because Feminism is an issue of rights for everyone. The more we work to make that understood, the closer we get to true equality.

Feminism is too often criticized as "shouty" by those who shout the loudest about overreach of feminists' issues. By remaining anonymous, and making work for every woman on every issue, the Guerrilla Girls embrace intersectional feminism and are role models for all Feminists. 

Event Review: Guerrilla Girls

Guerrilla Girls at MIAD
Lainey Koch

Since 1985, there have been over 55 women that represent the Guerrilla Girls. Some members hang around for years, other for only a week or two. When speaking on behalf of the Guerrilla Girls, members keep their faces and identities hidden behind gorilla masks in order to keep all the focus on the issues the group speaks about.

Above all else, the Guerrilla Girls spoke of the importance of intersectionality and intersectional feminism within the art world. Misrepresentation isn't a new idea, and the Guerrilla Girls are here to make a difference. Throughout their talk at MIAD, the Guerrilla Girls spoke about how they use bold graphics and statistics to bring attention to the corruption and injustices in the art world, the realm of film, and even the government. I was inspired to hear about their tireless fight against oppression and have always been in awe of their cleverness when it comes to the way they present their work. I try to keep strong intersectional feminist themes in my own artwork, so I loved hearing them talk about their focus on the issues at hand. It was powerful for me to see issues that I'm passionate about represented in a way so different from my own.

Another important point for me to see was how they responded to questions at the end. The floor was open to any questions for the Guerrilla Girls anything, a couple white men responded with frustration. The ability to remain calm and meet the inquirer with additional facts and statistics was a great demonstration of standing true to their beliefs in a way that their opponent can still understand and respect. 

Event Review Guerrilla Girls

Guerrilla Girls- MIAD Talk
By: Ryan Cindric

The Guerrilla Girls are female activist artists who first came together in 1985. The group has consisted of over 55 people with dedication ranging from a few weeks to over a few decades. They have kept their identity a secret all these years through the use of gorilla masks, its also goes well with their name (pause for chuckle).  The Guerrilla girls, in their own words, "undermine the idea of a mainstream narrative by revealing the understory, the subtext, the overlooked, and the downright unfair. We believe in an intersectional feminism that fights discrimination and supports human rights for all people and all genders."

Going into the talk I only had a very limited idea of what the girls were all about, however my mind was blown by all of the different issues they shed light on. Throughout the duration of their talk the covered the basic background knowledge of themselves, but once we got into it ideas and issues started flying around like poop in the monkey enclosure. I had no idea that the art world was as corrupt as it was; museum board members having the museum buy their personal collections for millions of dollars. As well as this, i also never knew just how unrepresented female artists, and artists of color were in museums, sometimes not even having any representation at all. Lastly, the issue of women artists trying to make a living; it seems that to make a living, in the way that we picture some of the greats, you must be male; less than 3 % of artists in the Modern Art sections are women, but 83% of nudes are women.

This was an incredibly eye opening talk into a world that i clearly don't know much about. I am incredibly thankful I had the opportunity to go and am also incredibly thankful that the Guerrilla Girls exist to expose the corruption and misrepresentation in the art world.

Commerce/Economics - Guerrilla Girls

Guerrilla Girls 
Lainey Koch 

Who ever said anger can't also have a sense of humor? The Guerrilla Girls brought together a passionate activism and a clever sarcasm to their work, which has traveled with them worldwide. Starting in 1985, the Guerrilla Girls have had over 55 different members dedicated to exposing gender and racial bias within art, politics, and music. 

Members of the Guerrilla Girls wear gorilla masks when presenting in public or giving interviews about their work, using the names of deceased women artists as their pseudonyms. They state that the issues they fight against are more important than their own identities, which is why they cover their faces with the masks. 

The Guerrilla Girls are intersectional feminists and use exhibitions and public spaces, such as billboards, to speak out against the unequal and unfair representation of both women and people of color within art and politics. Pairing bold imagery with facts and statistics, this group of women have provided voices to those who have been spoken over throughout history. 

As a woman in art myself, it's empowering to see women speak up against the lack of representation that women and people of color face, not just in art, but also in politics. I find their use of statistics to be concise and effective when delivering an argument on the issue of gender inequality.