The New York-based Guerrilla Girls (self-styled "conscience of the art world") use humor, renegade tactics, and the element of surprise to spread their indictment of sexism and racism in both the art world and the culture at large. Oh yes, and they wear scary gorilla masks. Founded in 1985, they have

Angry, Bad girl art, Enigmatic, Feminist, In-your-face, Media art, Political, Rebel, Women's literature

Toni Morrison, arguably the most famous living African American author, was born Chloe Anthony Wofford in 1931 in Ohio. As a child, she was an avid and precocious reader, and her family of masterful storytellers raised her on a steady diet of tales and legends. She studied literature at Howard and Co

African american fiction, Dense, Feminine, Layered, Melancholy, Pathos, Religious, Southern gothic, Spectral, Women's literature

Whether the pond she's skating across is folk, pop-rock, or jazz, Joni Mitchell attacks song with an unfailing ear for off-kilter melody and poetically sparked lyrics. Her thirty-plus years as a musician have seen her experiment with many styles and join forces with players from Neil Young to Charles

Dreamy, Elegant, Feminine, Intimate, Religious, Sincere, Women's literature

According to photographer Cindy Sherman, "The male half of society has structured the whole language of how women see and think about themselves." In "Untitled Film Stills" (1977-1980), Sherman featured herself in various guises that resemble stock characters from Hollywood melodramas, providing a Po

Cartoonish, Composed, Conceptual photography, Death, Deconstructive, Feminine, Grotesque, In-your-face, Layered, Mythic, Political, Women's literature