Do you ever dream of having your name appear in an art museum text panel? What if you had to be naked to make it happen? That is a question that drives the Guerilla Girls, a group of feminist artists known for the gorilla masks they wear to remain anonymous, and this year they have an art exhibition of their own, currently on display at the Georgia Museum. One of their best-known projects is a poster that depicts a nude woman wearing a gorilla mask. The poster asks: Do women have to be naked to get into the Met Museum?
In 1984, the Museum of Modern Art in New York held an exhibition intended to be a survey of important living artists of the time. Of the 169 artists included, only 13 were women. In response, the Guerilla Girls were started by 7 female artists in 1985. According to the Guerilla Girls themselves, they are “feminist masked avengers in the tradition of anonymous do-gooders like Robin Hood, Wonder Woman and Batman.”
Their new exhibition, Not Ready to Make Nice, includes behind-the-scenes material and stories from the Guerilla Girls about some of their best-known protests from the 80s and 90s, and more recent work from their projects around the world. You can learn more about the Guerilla Girls, and their other exhibitions and street projects, here.
Fully-clothed American women may also get an entire national museum dedicated to their history soon, after a long wait. On December 12th, the senate passed a measure that was first introduced to 16 years ago, and the effort to create a National Women‚Äôs History Museum in Washington D.C. is heading to U.S. President Barack Obama. This effort would mean the creation and funding of a commission to study the potential founding of a national women’s history museum.
Check out this video of girls inspired by some notable women from American History.
-Emily Holm
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.