The Guerrilla Girls Re-inventing the “f” word—feminism

 What event/decision triggered the founding of the group?  Why do the Guerrilla Girls choose humor, mockery, and shocking visuals as a means of communicating their message?  How do they decide which social issue or art form they wish to critique? Is this process collaborative?  When designing a performance art piece, poster, campaign, etc., how to they work together? Into the Jungle: My Research

How Did It All Get Started?  In 1985, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) opened up a new exhibition dubbed An International Survey of Painting and Sculpture (Guerilla Girls 1995)  Kynaston McShine, the curator, stated that “any artist who wasn’t in the show should rethink “his” career” (Guerilla Girls 1995).

The Last Straw…  The exhibit featured 169 artists  Only 13 of these artists were women (less than 10%)  Fewer than this number were artists of color  None of these artists were women of color (Guerilla Girls 1995)

The Girls Take Action! Image courtesy of the Guerilla Girls official website ( 2011)

How Did They Get That Name?  “We wanted to play with the fear of guerilla warfare, to make people afraid of who we might be and were we would strike next. Besides, “guerrilla” sounds so good with “girl”” (Guerrilla Girls 1995) – “Georgia O’Keeffe”

And Why The Gorilla Masks? “We were Guerillas before we were Gorillas. From the beginning the press wanted publicity photos. We needed a disguise” (Guerilla Girls 1995) --“Kathe Kollwitz” Adopted anonymity as a tool to “focus on the issues” Also adopted the masks as a way to create a sense of “omnipresence in the art community” (Demo 138)

 “We’re feminist masked avengers in the tradition of anonymous do-gooders like Robin Hood, Wonder Woman and Batman. How do we expose sexism, racism and corruption in politics, art, film and pop culture? With facts, humor and outrageous visuals. We reveal the understory, the subtexts, the overlooked, and the downright unfair” (Guerrilla Girls 2011). Philosophy & Context

 “We want to be subversive, to transform our audience, to confront them with some disarming statements, backed up by facts—and great visuals—and hopefully convert them. We carefully craft everything we do. We try to twist an issue around and present it in a way that hasn’t been seen before” (Guerrilla Girls “FAQ” 2011).  Using ridicule and humiliation, backed up by irrefutable information, they “can disarm the power that be, put them on the spot, and force them to examine themselves” (Guerilla Girls “FAQ” 2011).  Disagree with those who live out the stereotype of feminists that have no sense of humor Philosophy & Context Cont.

The Anatomically Correct Oscar Image Courtesy of The official Guerrilla Girls Website (

The Guerilla Girls and the Theatre  199o’s—Plasterd bathrooms with stickers listing theatres such as New Group, the Roundabout, Primary Stages and Atalantic Theater, who included no female playwrights in their seasons (Solomon 1999).  1998—The Girls lined up in the street across from the venue where the Tonys were being held  th Annual Tony Awards—Question: “What do toilet stalls and the Tony Awards have in Common?” Answer: “They only let in one woman at a time” (Farfan and Ferris 2010)

The Guerrilla Girls On Tour!  “Aphra Bhen” created a subcommittee of the Guerilla Girls dedicated to injustices in the world of live performance and theatre  Responsible for the 1998 Tony Awards protest  “To protest the fact that women weren't nominated for Tonys because women playwrights and directed weren’t hired on Broadway” (Kahlo 95) --Frida Kahlo  =SB8_R_oczXw

 “The situation was pathetic. It had to change. And we were a part of that change” (Guerilla Girls 1995) --“Gertrude Stein”  “Since the groups inception in 1985, “jungle fever” has spread across the globe with the emergence of Guerilla Girls in San Francisco, Guerilla Girls MA & PA in Boston and Paris, Las Chicas Guerilleras in Barcelona and Palme Girls in Stockholm” (Demo 153).  Journalist Abby Luby characterizes them as “an integral part of the feminist art movement (think Judy Chicago), their work became part of art history curricula and has since been written about in doctoral dissertations” (“Going Ape for Women Artists” 2011). Significance & Achievements

“The posters were rude; they named names and they printed statistics. They embarrassed people. In other words, they worked” --Susan Tallman, Arts Magazine In 2010 all three active Guerrilla Girl groups were awarded the Courage Awards for the Arts by Yoko Ono Lennon (“Stein” 101) All three active Guerrilla Girl groups continue to be welcomed and honored guests at colleges, museums and other institutions Praise and Awards for the Girls

Contextualization  I choose The Five Lesbian Brothers’ Brave Smiles  Why?  A shared sense of humor  Similar philosophy that employs mimicry, subversion and parody to change the audience’s perspective  Like the Guerilla Girls, The Five Lesbian Brothers work collaboratively

 Demo, Anne. “The Guerilla Girls’ Comic Politics of Subversion.” Women’s Studies in Communication23.2 (2000): Print.  Farfan, Penny and Lesley Ferris. “Editorial Comment: Special Issue on Contemporary Women Playwrights.” Theatre Journal 64.2 (2010): xi-xviii. Project Muse. Web. 11 Oct  Guerilla Girls. The Guerilla Girls. The Guerilla Girls, Web. 29 Sept  Raizada, Kristen. “An Interview with the Guerilla Girls, Dyke Action Machine (DAM!) and the Toxie Titties.’ NWSA Journal 19.1 (2007): Academic Search Premier. EBSCO Web. 29 Sept  Solomon, Alisa. “Parody and Parity: the Guerilla Girls, Interviewed by Alisa Solomon.” Theater 29.2 (1999): Print.  “Stein, Gertrude.” “Guerrilla Girls and Guerilla Girls BroadBand: Inside Story.” Art Journal (2011): Print. Works Cited

Any Questions?