Guerrilla Girls - Members & Names

Members & Names

Membership in the New York City group is by invitation only, based on relationships with current and past members, and one's involvement in the contemporary art world. A mentoring program was formed within the group, pairing a new member with an experienced Guerrilla Girl to bring them into the fold. Due to the lack of formality, the group is comfortable with individuals outside of their base claiming to be Guerrilla Girls; Guerilla Girl 1 stated in a 2007 interview: "It can only enhance us by having people of power who have been given credit for being a Girl, even if they were never a Girl." Men are not allowed to become Guerrilla Girls, but may support the group by assisting in promotional activities.

Guerrilla Girls names are pseudonyms generally based on dead female artists. Members goes by names such as Alma Thomas, Rosalba Carriera, Frida Kahlo, Julia de Borgos, and Hannah Hoch. Guerrilla Girls' "Carriera" is credited with the idea of using pseudonyms as ways to not forget female artists; having read about Rosalba Carriera in a footnote of Letters on Cezanne by Maria Rainer Rilke, she decided to pay tribute to the little-known female artist with her name. This also helped to solve the problem of media interviews; the group was often interviewed by phone and would not give names, causing problems and confusion amongst the group and the media. Guerrilla Girl 1 joined in the late 1980s, taking on her name as a way to memorialize women in the art community who have fallen under the radar and did not make as notable as an impact as the names takes on by other members.