Guerrilla girls and one of my favorites.

Two of my art history professors from Washington and Lee have passed away.  It's hard to believe that just 6 years ago I was sitting in their classrooms, hurriedly scribbling notes about the latest rounds of art history slides.  Professor Pam Simpson, who died this month, was one of my favorites.  She wasn't afraid to speak her mind or to teach controversial subject matter, including feminist art history.  She made us laugh and she made us gawk with open mouths as we realized some of the things that have happened over the years... and some of the things that are happening right now.  Professor Simpson led the way as she pushed through the material about Judy Chicago and the Guerrilla Girls.  It was through her eyes that I saw how far women had come and how far they could go... basically as far as they want to.

 The Guerrilla Girls are a group of artists that tour the country putting on hilarious skits and shows about the f-word  (Feminism) today. They dress as gorillas (get it?), and take the names of famous women artists for disguise.  Nobody knows who they are... nobody.  One of their talking points is this:  "Do women have to be naked to get into the Metropolitan Museum of Art?"  No kidding... Less than 3% of the artists in the Modern Art sections are women, but 83% of the nudes are female.    Surprised?  Me neither.  Professor Simpson taught her students to question this stuff! Why are less than 3% of the artists women? That doesn't make sense.  Certainly there have been good women artists throughout art history?  They weren't all chained to the oven and having babies, right?  RIGHT.  Something else is going on... who is making the decisions people?  Women are still underrepresented in NYC galleries and museums today. Why is women's art devalued? Even if you don't care about that issue, try the Guerrilla girl's website as something will strike a nerve-- My hope is that it will be your funny bone.  Sometimes we can say more with humor than with anger.

Professor Simpson was great.  She was real and she helped make real progress.  She was instrumental in getting Washington and Lee to move from an all-male school to a co-ed school  in the 1980's.  During times when our government does nothing but spin it's wheels, play politics and act like a petulant toddler, I take heart in the fact that there are still teachers out there like Professor Simpson.  Not only did she question inequality and take action, but she taught others how to do the same.

If anyone should be an honorary Guerrilla girl, it's Professor Simpson.