The Guerrilla Girls

"Do women have to be naked to get into the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Less than five percent of artists in the Modern Arts section are women, but 85 percent of the nudes are female." -Guerrilla Girls

www8.tltc.ttu.edu/.../TAEA2004/artist_images.htm

"You are sitting at your table, doing your artwork in the art room —– a typical day in art
class. As you are working and talking with your friends, you notice someone or
something strange out of the corner of your eye. You hear someone else in the class
say, "Hey, what's that? What is going on?" You look up and see a girl coming in the art
room, wearing a guerrilla mask, and carrying bananas and papers. The girl immediately
hands out bananas to your classmates, and announces to the class that the Guerrilla
Girls are officially protesting the art class. She continues to say that your art teacher,
has been found guilty of teaching Dead European White Male art.

The "Guerrilla Girl" hands some papers to your teacher, and leaves the room. Every one
in the room is confused about what just went on, and a lot of your friends think that the
whole thing is weird and funny. You look at your banana, and notice that it has a
message on it. It says, "Do women have to be naked to get into museums?" You grab
your neighbor's banana, and notice that it has a different message on it. You ask your
self, "What's the deal?" Every one in the classroom is in shock about what just
happened. You feel like you are in some sort of weird dream.."
(http://www.teachersnetwork.org/webquests/guerillagirls/Page_2x.html)

In 1985 a group of underappreciated contempary female artists, historians and curitors formed the group, dubbed "the Guerrilla Girls", to bring shocking aknowledgement to the strong sexist, and racial inequalities within the contempary art world which they experience, with a twist of irony as well as humor. Stripping their identities behind gorilla masks, they took pseudo names of dead famous female artists such as Frida Kahlo, to both keep their anonymity and bring attention to themselves.

The gorilla masks keep the women's identity hidden, but to refer to them as "guerilla" points to their activist nature. Even by calling themselves "girls," which would be considered very unfeminist, they point out how women artists have been demeaned over history. (http://iaia.essortment.com/guerillagirls_rfps.htm)

library.lib.binghamton.edu/.../archives/2005/03/

Originating in New York, their influence has spread to cities all over the United States, with their shocking, bold posters and rallies that grab attention and promp discussion.

hoeksteen.dds.nl/items.php3

Are the Guerilla Girls really necessary? Take a little test. On one side of a piece of paper, list all of the female artists you've heard of. On the other side of the paper, list the male artists.(http://iaia.essortment.com/guerillagirls_rfps.htm)

record.wustl.edu/archive/1998/03-19-98/2368.html

MORE INFORMATION?
http://iaia.essortment.com/guerillagirls_rfps.htm
http://www.guerillagirls.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_Girls
http://www.teachersnetwork.org/webquests/guerillagirls/Page_2x.html

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hot topics last edited on 22 January 2007 at 9:18 pm by spare-134-132.allcom.net