This post is written by Lauren Stark, Processing Archivist in Archival Collections Management.

Many radical groups are formed with noble intent, whether it is to overcome an injustice or bring attention to a lesser-known cause. Despite these intentions, these groups often splinter or separate. There is almost a human element to these groups; although they agree over a larger issue, they might disagree on how to execute a solution. In New York University’s Special Collections, there are examples of such groups; the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) [Democratic Socialists of America Records, TAM 105], for example, initially formed after members of the Socialist Party, USA left the organization because of differing views on the Vietnam War. These members founded the Democratic Socialists Organizing Committee in 1973, which would later merge with the New American Movement in 1983. Even this formation caused tensions since some members of both groups did not approve of the merger. A more recent example, which seems surprising, can be found in the Guerrilla Girls Archive [MSS 274].

Founded in 1985, the Guerrilla Girls are a feminist art collective who focus on issues of racial inequity and gender in the arts, film, pop culture, and politics. Their formation was a direct response to the under-representation of women and minorities in museum and gallery exhibitions, specifically to an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art that included 165 artists, only 17 of whom were women.

“Guerrilla Girls’ 1986 Report Card” Poster, 1986; Guerrilla Girls Archive, MSS 274, box 8, folder 11, Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

There was a fear of reprisals by certain institutions with which members of the group were affiliated so during public appearances, the Guerrilla Girls wore gorilla masks to protect their identities and adopted the names of overlooked female artists as pseudonyms. Anonymity was (and is) an essential aspect of their activism, for it calls attention to ideas and issues addressed by a group rather than the success or failure of individual artists[1].

“Guerrilla Girls Review the Whitney” Poster, 1987; Guerrilla Girls Archive, MSS 274, box 8, folder 17, Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

In the late 1990s, some founding members split from the group over financial disagreements, the future of the collective’s mission, and the collective’s focus. Three separate groups formed after 2000, Guerrilla Girls Inc., Guerrilla Girls on Tour, Inc. and GuerrillaGirlsBroadBand, Inc. Despite the virtuous ideals that led to the formation of the group, the human element of mundane subjects, such as money, created a schism. A more glaring and surprising example of the splintering of the group is a 2003 lawsuit. It is surprising since hubris appeared to overtake the importance of anonymity, especially within a group that espoused such idealistic notions.

In 2003, two members of Guerrilla Girls Inc. claimed that they were “guiding forces of the Guerrilla Girls” and the authors of most of the works created by the Guerrilla Girls; they also revealed their identities. The defendants, representatives of Guerrilla Girls on Tour, GuerrillaGirlsBroadBand, and various “Jane Does,” claimed that when the unincorporated collective was initially formed, it was not interested in obtaining copyright or intellectual property rights to protect the work. They argued that works created by the collective were works of joint authorship in which all intellectual property rights belonged to the unincorporated association. In her declaration, defendant Zora Neale Hurston stated that “our power derived from not whining about ourselves as individual artists in the male-artist dominated art world.” Another defendant noted that “the Guerrilla Girls evolved over time as a result of the input and suggestions from a wide variety of their members.” The same defendant said that “it was clearly understood by myself and the other ‘Girls’ that all of the work, activities, and credit as the Guerilla Girls were communally shared and anonymous in nature.”

Card, circa 1987; Guerrilla Girls Archive, MSS 274, box 10, folder 1, Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Sticker, circa 1987; Guerrilla Girls Archive, MSS 274, box 10, folder 1, Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

Ana Mendieta, another defendant, expressed her sadness that the plaintiffs revealed their identities and “stunned” that they “sought to appropriate for themselves the work of the Guerrilla Girls”. She also noted that “allowing two women to further marginalize the work of other women is truly against what the Guerrilla Girls stood for.”[2]

The case was eventually settled in 2005, with the agreement that the shared history of all three groups would be listed on Guerrilla Girls Inc.’s website and the donation of the archives would be to an institution agreed upon by the “Old Girls” (presumably, original members of the group), Guerrilla Girls Inc., Guerrilla Girls on Tour, and GuerrillaGirlsBroadBand.[3] The agreed-upon institution would be the Fales Library and Special Collections at New York University, where the collection currently resides [MSS 274]. The shared history included language referring to the group from 1985-2000 as working collectively and anonymously, with three separate and independent incorporated groups formed in 2001.[4] Although a settlement was reached, it did not erase the contradicting voices that led to the group’s split. The statements of the defendants emphasize the ideals established by the original group, which included focus on the collective rather than the individual, the importance of anonymity, and the consideration of the work as a communal effort; the plaintiffs appeared to be in exact opposition to these ideals.

Today, when looking at the websites of the three groups, it is apparent that they are continuing the noble intentions of the original collective, but in different ways. GuerrillaGirlsBroadband combat sexism, racism, and social injustice through new media and interactive events.[5] Guerrilla Girls Inc. describes the group as reinventing the ‘f’ word (feminism) to fight for rights for all people by using “disruptive headlines, outrageous visuals, and killer statistics”.[6] The website of Guerrilla Girls on Tour! focuses on educating and transforming audiences into identifying as activists and artists through plays and workshops.[7]

Interestingly, however, the GuerrillaGirlsBroadband website is the only one that mentions the shared history of the three groups using the terms negotiated in the settlement.[8] Guerrillagirls.com speaks about the group purely in the present tense, and only acknowledges its early years in their book, Guerrilla Girls: The Art of Behaving Badly which collects projects from 1985 to 2020.[9] Guerrilla Girls on Tour! mentions the original group mainly through the promotion of memoirs by an original member.[10] Perhaps it was inevitable that such principled notions from one group would eventually lead to a split into three.

[1] Defendant’s statement, June 2004; Guerrilla Girls Archive, MSS 274, box 4, folder 5, Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

[2] Defendants’ statements, June 2004; Guerrilla Girls Archive, MSS 274, box 4, folder 5, Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

[3] Email, November 21, 2005; Guerrilla Girls Archive, MSS 274, box 4, folder 12, Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

[4] Email, January 12, 2005; Guerrilla Girls Archive, MSS 274, box 4, folder 16, Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University Libraries.

[5] “About,” Guerrilla Girls Broadband, accessed August 7, 2024, http://guerrillagirlsbroadband.com/about.

[6] “Our Story,” Guerrilla Girls, accessed August 7, 2024, https://www.guerrillagirls.com/our-story.

[7] “We Are Guerrilla Girls on Tour!” Guerrilla Girls on Tour, accessed August 7, 2024, https://guerrillagirlsontour.com/

[8] “About,” Guerrilla Girls Broadband, accessed August 7, 2024, http://guerrillagirlsbroadband.com/about.

[9] “Our Story,” Guerrilla Girls, accessed August 7, 2024, https://www.guerrillagirls.com/our-story.

[10] “Unmasked: Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girls on Tour,” Guerrilla Girls on Tour, accessed August 7, 2024, https://guerrillagirlsontour.com/unmasked/un-masked-memoirs-of-a-guerrilla-girls-on-tour.