The fun never stops
Women Wearing Gorilla Masks Invade Hamilton Campus!
Well, sort of. Come see the Guerrilla Girls:
This SATURDAY, March 8th, at 4 p.m. in the KJ Aud.
Meet the famed feminist arts and culture activists who—yes—perform in gorilla masks, and keep their identities anonymous, assuming the names of dead female artists.
Here’s what they have to say about themselves:
The Guerrilla Girls are feminist masked avengers in the tradition of anonymous do-gooders like Robin Hood, Wonder Woman and Batman. They use facts, humor and outrageous visuals to expose sexism, racism and corruption in politics, art, film and pop culture. Their work has been passed around the world by their tireless supporters.They’ve appeared at over 90 universities and museums in recent years, as well as in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Bitch, Mother Jones and Artforum; on NPR, the BBC and CBC; and in many art and feminist texts. They are authors of stickers, billboards, many, many posters and other projects (including a large-scale installation for the 2005 Venice Biennale,) and several books including The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art, Bitches, Bimbos and Ballbreakers: The Guerrilla Girls’ Illustrated Guide to Female Stereotypes, and The Guerrilla Girls’ Art Museum Activity Book. They will talk about their work, their philosophy of activism, and their campaign against the appalling lack of ethics in the art world.
4 p.m. KJ Aud.
Bring money for posters, t-shirts and books, or your own copy of a Guerrilla Girls book for a signing after the talk.
hb
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Reader Comments (31)
Have you ever heard of the ERA????Work to get it passed...No special deals for anyone--male, female, transvestites and any other categories I may have omitted..Feminism often stands in the way of achieving real progress especially in governance when selection is based on gender not merit...
Hamilton once stood for educational excellence.
Hamilton has become an embarrassment.
No Melinda, the problem is not feminism, which should be studied rigorously like any other subject. The problem is the shallowness and silliness of it all.
Parents will learn to make smarter choices in deciding whether they want their children educated or indoctrinated.
There is a moving letter on this website from what appears to be a female Hamilton undergraduate. Perhaps Hamilton's trustees need to be thinking about her needs and about those like her.
If they don't, I hope conservative students pack their bags and leave.
It’s not clear that a healthy skepticism of these programs equates to ‘hating feminism’ as you suggest. I'm sure there is not widespread agreement within the alumni with the premise that this kind of stuff is either educational or entertaining or in fact represents 'feminism' as you purport. The issue as to whether this stuff represents a valid use of funds in a resource constrained environment is legitimate.
If the quality of content of this programming is excellent, then the college should be proud to have it displayed to all alumni, which we have done. Many will consider it emblematic of the incessant noise of politically programmed mediocrity targeted to Hamilton students and paid for by the alumni.
Let’s talk about it when the programming in support of feminism includes the views of accomplished women such as Lynne Cheney, Condi Rice, Christina Hoff Sommers or women in senior positions of economically productive organizations. But perhaps that’s too inclusive, and it would interfere with the current money train.
To Melinda,
Even some feminists are not supportive of "in-your-face" activities. The reason this is posted is to criticize Hamilton.
To Melinda and era,
True and enduring progress for women and minority groups in our society will occur when individuals consistently provide work that is superior when compared to the work of others. ERA will not change the opinion of any one individual.
1) You assert that the postings are intented to critize Hamilton? How & why do you come to the conclusion that the presentation of facts is bad? Are you of the view that these facts should not be presented?
2) "individuals consistently provide work that is superior " We support bringing excellence to Hamilton in programming, pedagogy, scholarship. Please tell how these programs get us there.
3) your unposted comment - The issue of protecting a student or serving the interests of an anonymous poster is easy to sort out. I have validated the issue, and it is closed pending further investigation.
2) "individuals consistently provide work that is superior" refers to how women and minorities might get ahead in the world. I don't see the value in the program you've highlighted, apart from (perhaps to some) fringe entertainment. I'm no fan of "in-your-face" feminism or anything else.
3) Re my unposted comment: It's your blog - you are free to do as you will. My comment did not serve to undermine the anonymity of the parties, nor did it denigrate anyone. There appears to have been a larger lesson here that was not appreciated by the student, and part of the reason it was lost may have come from the student's age and the poor means of delivery by the faculty member. I don't believe the intent was to chill that student's expression of his/her beliefs; but rather to broaden that student's horizon, as I had said in the posting. Challenging the mind is what education is about.
2) The word "individuals" can not be construed or redefined to include only women and minorities. Your attempt to do so defines on one aspect the problem: your catagorical thinking is dehumanizing.
http://www.guerrillagirls.com/hotflashes/index.shtml
Let's think for a minute about the Iraqi women and children caught in the current US-led war and UN sanctions. Iraqi women are looking back with nostalgia at the days when there was still infrastructure and employment and when their towns were multi-ethnic and multicultural. Now, they are often subjected to the threats and codes of Islamist militants, used as bargaining chips by U.S. forces and in turn becoming potential victims of honor crimes. Women are often the last to eat, after feeding their husbands and children, and agonize as they watch their children suffer from malnutrition and vaccine-preventable diseases. Even under these dire conditions though, women have mobilized, formed locally-based women’s collaboratives and pooled their resources in order to address practical needs of healthcare, housing and education.
Name two events during the past six months on the Hamilton College campus that featured conservative speakers.
My point is that the only items on the Hamilton calendar worth mentioning here are those which you see as absurd. And I agree with you that money spent on the Guerilla Girls could have been better spent.
About "individuals"-you miss my point entirely. "In-your-face" feminism is not going to move women ahead in the world. Individuals doing a superior job is how progress for any group is accomplished. If the default position in the job market is that a white male will move forward, it is incumbent on other groups to do a better job than the competition. That sort of thinking dehumanizes no one. Having a default position dehumanizes everyone. Being "in-your-face" about anything accomplishes nothing, and to my mind, erodes support for the cause it purports to support.
hb and the Ham student,
Have a look at http://www.hamilton.edu/news/speakers_fall2007.pdf and tell me that you can't find any speakers who might be of interest to conservatives.
http://www.hamilton.edu/news/more_news/display.cfm?id=13661
Maybe there is a dawning realization on the part of conservative students that Hamilton is no longer worth saving
For ---
A speaker "of interest to conservatives" is not equal to a conservative speaker. Nice try but no go.
What's the point about Henry Paulson?
I thought students paid $50,000 a year to obtain a first-class education, not to organize or be indoctrinated.
The trustees wouldn't even allow the AHI on campus. Nuff said!
Hey ---- (PWD?) You must be drinking.
You misread "Conservationist Henry Paulson" as "Conservative Henry Paulson"
And what happened to the AHC? Tried to organize outside the "day to day" mind control? Public GTFO. Then salary retaliation. These kids aren't stupid: better to sit this one out at the pub.
"Every time you see a tree, you better pick up a brick, cause old Man Trouble be laying & waitin' on you..." Ry Cooder
OK, sorry, he's not Rush Limbaugh, only a Wall Street heavyweight.