Girly Art

In this chapter the issue of women in the art field is discussed and how it is harder for women artist to be fully recognized like the men of the industry. I think that this is an interesting issue to think about because it can sort of be related to different genres of study other than art. It has just been a commonality in history that women seem to have a harder time being recognized or credited with things. For example, women were not given the right to vote along with men at first, women were often thought of as just being there to take care of the home and children, and women today are still making less money than men in the same field of work. It is almost like women are always one step behind men.

This can be looked upon as being unfair to the female sex but some women stand up for what they believe in and fight against the stereotype. The Guerrilla Girls' Movement is a perfect example. With their saying "add women and stir," they started a movement. Some think that it is easier to put women artist in a separate category than men in order for their work to be highlighted and compared against one another. What the Guerrilla Girls were trying to do is say that if women wanted to be recognized as artist on the same level as men, then they needed to be shown and considered on the same level as male artist. Why should a woman's art work not be hung up next to a male artist's work in order for them to be compared? Why is it necessary for the women to be in their own category for them to be compared?

Maybe when it comes to something like the art world, having one's race, sexuality, or gender remain anonymous would benefit everyone. The viewer would look at the piece without having preconceived judgments on the artist or their personal views and the artist would be given an unbiased judgment whether they were male or female.

Questions:
1. Are the Guerrilla Girls still active in the art community?
2. Did their movement change anything in the art world based on gender?