Guerrilla Girls

A group of anonymous women activists founded the New York City–based Guerrilla Girls, Inc., in 1985 to demand gender equality for women's representation, inclusion, and recognition in the arts field throughout the United States. The impetus for the group's formation was that in 1985, an exhibition opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York called An International Survey of Painting and Sculpture. Although intended to be a current summary of the most important contemporary art internationally, out of 169 artists showcased, only 13 were women. In addition to the Guerrilla Girls challenging the museum about the under-representation and marginalization of women's contribution to contemporary world arts, the group also questioned the racial equity in the exhibit, because all of the artists were white (e.g., European or U.S.-born).

Using a political framework and direct action tactics, the organization challenges the arts world to be more inclusive of women artists and challenges the traditional notions of femininity typically portrayed in art museums across the country. Although the group began in New York City and bases its organizing and Web-based efforts in this area, the strategic tactics used by the group have spread to other areas of the country. The members of the Guerrilla Girls include activists who are artists themselves, art curators, art historians, as well as others from art-related occupations and communities. In a classic Guerrilla Girls action, a series of posters was displayed in New York City, portraying an image of a nude female reclining on a couch, while wearing a gorilla mask. Accompanying this image was a statement intended to challenge and question individuals in the arts community and beyond, asking if women have to be naked to get into the Metropolitan Museum of Art, because less than 5% of artists in the Modern Arts section are women, but 85% of the nudes are female.

The group takes its name from the gorilla masks used to protect the activists' identities while engaging in direct actions, such as protests of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and participating in protests of museums that do not showcase women artists. Members may also wear masks portraying deceased women artists who never received the recognition they deserved during their lifetime. In this manner, the Guerrilla Girls not only make a statement about the male domination of the arts in terms of history and community-ownership, but also bring well-deserved and long-overdue recognition to important female artists who would have otherwise gone unnoticed. The protection of members' identities with the masks during their direct action work is critical in order to allow members to challenge the [Page 652]status quo of the art community, while maintaining anonymity so that they are not discriminated against further and alienated from their field. The group continues its activism and challenge to the arts world to be more inclusive and attentive to issues of gender and race through the marketing of their mission on billboards, bus ads, bathrooms of major museums, and magazine spreads, as well as through protest actions and letter-writing campaigns.

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