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.