A group of four female students on Marywood’s campus are taking a stand against inequality in the art world by donning gorilla masks.

The students are a part of the movement Guerrilla Girls, an anonymous group of women who take the names of deceased female artists, according to the Guerilla Girls’ website. The women also wear gorilla masks as a way to further protect their identity.

Concieved in 1985, the Guerilla Girl movement focuses on promoting gender equality in the art world. The women’s identities are concealed to protect their artistic careers.

“Guerilla warfare is tactile and strategic,” said a student who identified herself as artist Käthe Kollwitz, a German artist who died in 1945.

“We wanted to use the guerilla warfare tactic as a way defeat discrimination,” added a student identifying herself as Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist who died in 1954.

“People ask us who we are and what we’re doing,” said a student using the name of American artist Lee Krasner, who died in 1984. “You’ll probably find our stuff all over campus.”

The “stuff” includes posters and stickers raising awareness of the problems in the art world, such as representation of women and pay inequality.

“Most collectors of art are billionare white men,” said a student using the name Georgia O’Keeffe, an American artist who died in 1986. “80% of the nudes are female, and the artists are usually male. Women get paid one-third less than what male artists make.”

“We think the art field represents culture, and if run by men, there is an inbalance,” said Kesner, who finds the information O’Keeffe presented to be problematic.

The students wore gorilla masks from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. around campus on March 17 to celebrate Women’s History Live, which occured on March 16 and 17.

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