Guerrilla Girls At UMOCA

“Why haven’t more women been considered great artists throughout Western History?” a question coined by the Guerrilla Girls but has crossed the minds of almost every woman who has sat through an art history class.

Guerrilla Girls is an anonymous group of activist artists, using visuals to expose bias and corruption in politics, pop culture, film, and art. The group formed in 1984 as “the conscience of the art world.” Guerrilla Girls are defined by their gorilla masks and bold collages. Currently, the group is gracing the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art with a compelling exhibition that challenges social norms in the art world.

Art is often considered the product of the time, social, political and religious context in which it is created. Correspondingly, women were barred from studying anything remotely sexual in the 16th-19th century. This proved difficult for women in the art field because the ability to depict nudes was considered to be essential for academic training.

However, a few female artists prevailed over these obstacles. Among them was Artemis Gentileschi during the Renaissance period, Mary Casset who began painting during the impressionist movement, and Judith Leyster a painter in the Baroque era. Though they have received numerous claims from contemporary art critics, their art was dismissed as being ‘simply decorative’ and ‘inferior artists.’

Despite our society’s now progressive views on women and the rise of third-wave feminism women are still struggling in the art world. “A recent data survey of the permanent collection of 18 prominent art museums in the U.S found that out of over 10,000 artists, 87% are male and 85% are white.” (Public Library of Science) This piece of data begs the question, “Why are there still so few successful female artists?

Many attribute the inequality in the art world to the fact that it services the upper class or if we take a closer look, wealthy caucasian males. For an artist to succeed they must maneuver through their networks. However, these efforts can often be exhausting and ineffective when gatekeepers and tastemakers in the art world are discriminatory. “ Women still lag behind men in directorships held at museums with budgets over $15 million, holding 30%% of art museum director positions and earning seventy-five cents for every dollar earned by male directors.” (Association of Art Museum Directors) The gender disparity of leadership cripples women of artists, especially women of color.

”What Guerrilla Girls BroadBand does is stand in the art world and relate it back out to the rest of the world. What’s really important about the continued inequality of representation of women and people of color in the art world is that the whole of American society is still incredibly racist and anti-women in certain ways. We see the art world as part of the world.” Minnette De Silva, one of the members of the BroadBand Collective explained the importance of critiquing certain institutions. Hopefully, as more women attempt to break the glass ceiling, we will begin to see more women in the art world.

The Guerrilla Girls’ exhibition will be at the main gallery at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art until June 6, 2020.