guerrilla girls are an anonymous feminist group devoted to fighting against sexism and discrimination within the visual fine art world. started in new york city in 1985 to protest gender and racial inequality in the art world, members are known for the gorilla masks they wear to keep their anonymity.
their fight has evolved into a different place within the art world since 1985. tokenism is just one of the concerns challenged by the group today. economic discrimination in art sales and in auction market is another. women and artists of color earn about 10-20% of what white men do for comparable artwork. in 2001 the group split into three separate and independent organizations.
tokenism is a policy or practice of limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of traditionally marginalized group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination, intentional or not.
the talk began with rush limbaugh's 'slut" rant-
the audience composed of educators, artists, activists, students... mostly women and instructors from saic, roosevelt, loyola, and depaul and students from columbia college, saic, and etc.
this was an intimate space, held in the student center at columbia college. we had to rsvp via email as the event was directed to educators and students. paola, my roommate, had heard about this meeting from her art history instructor. our intention was to go on thursday to the opening, but it didn't happen. i'm pleased to have gone today (friday) because the event was directed towards smaller audience and they served us lunch. :)
a work by the guerrilla girls:
"do women have to be naked to get into the met. museum?"
"is there fun in subversion?"
- yes, having a sense of humor is important...
- we need to take action... instead of just relying on someone else to take care of the problem and to figure it out
- it is a way to "shout out".
- wearing gorilla masks- anonymity and humor
- when you make fun of the system that oppresses you, it's a way of empowerment.
- transform other people's thinking with a sense of humor...
"professional complainers"
- over time, the guerrilla girls learned how to craft in activism. they are meticulous planners, always test driving their ideas first.
- became "professional complainers"
- you can start by being angry, but the important thing is that you shouldn't end with anger...
- one of the audience members mentioned that we do have the right to be angry...
strategy has evolved.
- 1985, museums not showing female artists and artists of color. 27 years later, it's the same issue. "no brainer" that women and people of color have contributed to history, yet they are still marginalized, silenced and underrepresented in museums... and in today's society.
now, it's more about economic issue.
- art investors controlling what we see in museums
- we see history of power, not culture
- art world = drug world (both unregulated)
- "make the art world you want to live in." stop accommodating to their standards and what they want!
according to the article, Rethinking Contemporary Art and Multicultural Education, multicultural art is "an attempt to destabilize the very structures that elevate one style of art or one group of artists over another and create the linear succession of dominant art styles that make up the historical canon. It is precisely this hierarchical and linear notion of art history that has prevented work by artists of color from being considered official history." (p. 6)
a new word i learned: tokenism... the limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of traditionally marginalized group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination, intentional or not. one of the issues that the guerrilla girls had discussed was the power structure in the museums. the artworks that we see are controlled by the upper tier of the pyramid. it's a known fact that women and artists of color have contributed so much to history, yet their works are still underrepresented in large institutions such as the AIC.
"the glorification of token "masters" such as georgia o'keeffe, romare bearden, and frida kahlo merely reinforces the prevailing art narrative of the "gifted individual" who has been able to rise above his or her community in achievement. by definition, art created outside of these limited (and limit in) criteria lacks value." (p. 5) what we see is the history of power, not history of culture. the collectors and art dealers make the art market. they choose what is valuable and what isn't. the decisions to what is shown in the museum, who is considered the "genius" artists that fit the "criteria"... are decided by the few. yet the public doesn't question. members of traditionally marginalized group are still being "oppressed" because apparently, they "lack value" and "people don't want to see it." it's all about bringing in money! gasp. (shocking. i had no idea...!) many artists are instrumentally placed in the museums to support their values and money... rather than being there on their own terms.
art should become "a vital means of reflecting on nature of society and social existence." power. oppression. history. what we see in art museums and galleries... should reflect our culture. we should be able to connect to the artworks with our own experiences. art.. then becomes meaningful and it becomes "a vital means of reflecting on nature of society and social existence." we exist! and what should exist are voices similar to ours. artworks that we can relate to. artists and works that actually reflect our history and culture. it was interesting to note that one of the audience members mentioned about women artists that were being shown at the museums such as the art institute and mca, including sharon hayes (and anne elizabeth more, my instructor from last semester who had her own show at the mca!). we stated that we shouldn't overlook these artists and their achievements. we have come a long way... so we should celebrate!
not only gender and race are topics within education, but in the art world as well. it was very interesting to reflect back on my own actions because i always visited the art institute to look at specific works done by famous male artists. there is one... i mean just one painting by a woman that i know... have paid attention to... and have always liked... woman at her toilette by berthe morisot. i don't think i have ever learned about her or at least learned about her in detail in my art history classes. but what attracted me to this painting was that it looked "pretty" and "elegant", not having the slightest idea about the history or culture that would tell us something about how women lived in those days. and the fact that a female painter is visually telling a story about a woman in that time period... it just never came across my mind.
during the discussion, going around the room and letting people speak and share their ideas made the space more intimate. rather than sitting up on stage, the guerrilla girls sat with us. the duo kept encouraging us to speak up and "fight" against discrimination. i really enjoyed listening to different people's perspectives, even objections to what the guerrilla girls had said! the guerrilla girls thoroughly listened and took interest in learning about different projects mentioned by the audience members and even stayed longer to speak with individuals. i wish i had said something... when will i ever overcome this shyness!! when people introduced themselves, i noticed the audience members comprised mostly of women- professors and students, yet there were few men present. even the men spoke up. I believe it was a very meaningful experience... for all of us. to be with the "Girls" and listen to what they had to say was very empowering and encouraging. dialogue. the exchange of ideas. questions asked and answered. after the discussion, paola and i visited the small exhibition in the back of the room to see some of their posters.
also... some of columbia college students raised concerns about the college planning to eliminate / close courses and projects such as the chicago jazz ensemble, the center for black music research and the institute for the study of women and gender. in the 60's and 70's, people were fighting to create these programs / courses... and now, people will be fighting again to prevent these courses from elimination.
Museums Unfair to Men!
Sick of so many all-women feminist art shows lately?
Demand that museums go back to business as usual:
National gallery D.C., permanent collection exhibit 99% men
Met. Museum modern and contemporary galleries 97% men
Broad contemporary art museum, los angeles 87% men
MoMA permanent collection 86% men
MoMA, Whitney, Guggenheim 07-08 solo exhibitions 81% men
Male Art Now!
Museums should show tons of male artists, and very few female artists, like they always have.
according to guerrilla girls booklet, not ready to make nice...
many museums have names of famous artists inscribed on their facades.
none are women.
inside, things aren't much better:
the art institute of chicago's modern galleries are 90% male artists
its contemporary galleries are 82% male
even the solo shows at the mca since 2010 have been 80% male
time for chicago to do what paris, london, madrid and stockholm are doing: collect and exhibit more art by women!
statistics from oct 2011 count at aic, and mca website nov 2011
http://www.guerrillagirls.com/
not ready to make nice, guerrilla girls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_Girls
E. Joo and J. Keehn (with Ham-Robers) (Eds.)- Rethinking Contemporary Art and Multicultural Education. - Selections
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