federal funding from our tax dollars and exist
for the good of the public—are systemically
controlled by the 1%. Public museums are
just that—public—and the collections they
store and exhibit should be a refl ection of
the communities they represent. No longer
does it seems rational for a museum located
in the heart of a minority-majority city, such
as the Met in New York City, to present ex-
hibitions where over 80% of the artists are
white males. Where is the art that refl ects
values my friends and I relate to? Where are
the artists who truly represent the American
experience? Where’s the diversity?
walls.” The Guerrilla Girls are inherently edu-
cational in their purpose, just as museums are
educational in their mission. Understanding
the potential impact their posters could have
to enlighten museum visitors, the Guerrilla
Girls now reproduce full portfolios of their
seminal work, making a large breadth of their
posters available to collectors. Having their
work collected by museums has proven to be
a successful tactic, furthering their quest to
expose the gender and ethnic bias that exists
in the art world and society at large, by plac-
ing themselves within the timeline of Western
art history.
So when Kahlo commanded the entire audito-
rium to scream, her intention became deeper
than just having us produce sound. It was a
call to action that rippled through the entire
auditorium, our cries became promises to one
another to become more active and engaged
citizens. By inviting us to “make trouble to-
gether,” she encouraged the audience to join
the Guerrilla Girls and their impressive histo-
ry of activism to demand equality in our soci-
ety. Kahlo’s visit to UF truly planted the seeds
However, Kahlo was quick to explain, “We’re to inspire a new generation of activists in our
not scholars, we’re popularizers,” and em- own community.
phasized the importance of working collab-
oratively to support a cause. The Guerrilla
Girls are not about high-brow, esoteric work.
They let facts speak for themselves, adding a
punchline or outrageously funny quip to en-
tice viewers. “If you can make someone who
disagrees with you laugh, you sort of have a
hook with them,” she posited.
To cut museums some slack, there are many
public institutions today that do house di-
verse collections and actively seek to exhib-
it women artists and artists of color, largely
to the credit of the Guerrilla Girls’ activism.
Almost ironically, many major museums that
the Guerrilla Girls have protested now col-
lect their work. The Whitney, for example, is
now a proud collector of the very fact-driven
posters used to espouse the lack of equal rep-
resentation of artists within that institution’s
Toward the end of her talk, Kahlo highlight-
collection.
ed the importance of staying aware, of asking
“We embraced it, it opened us up to new questions, and of getting vocal about societal
audiences,” said Kahlo, noting, “It’s kind of issues that demand more critical attention
fun to protest these museums right on their by the populace. She spoke of the power in
Orlando Arts & Culture, v. 2.4
being “a professional complainer,” reclaiming
the word “complain” in a way that makes it a
positive method for creating change.
Photos provided by the Casey Wooster,
University of Florida, College of Arts
You can see more at:
GuerrillaGirls.com
56