Finley Calls for Women's Protests

Feminist performance artist and writer Karen Finley, who is known for her graphic live stage acts, yesterday urged a crowed of more than 100 people in Harvard Hall to protest misogyny and violence against women in and beyond the Harvard community.

In her speech, the keynote address of Take Back the Night week, Finley said protesters must begin by challenging the Harvard Law Review's recent parody of the Mary Joe Frug piece. [See related story.]

"We need students to start protesting. That's what's great about Harvard is to be a student and take it over," Finley said. "Even when a woman is dead they like to make fun of her. We can do our own spoof about male lawyers."

Finley said she also thought that Harvardstudents should call for increased hiring ofminority, gay, lesbian and female faculty.

Finley has gained recognition over the pastdecade as a performance artist, playwright,sculptor and painter. In some of her performances,she spreads food over the her naked body as a wayof addressing issues such as violence againstwomen, AIDS and homophobia.

In addition to calling for protest, Finleydecried the discrimination against minority, gay,lesbian and female artists by "the far right."

"These by white men want to control the us.They don't want women, gay and lesbian, and peopleof color in power," Finley said.

Finley then read from her books, ShockTreatment, and showed slides of her work inorder to show how art can stand as a protest tothe white male power structure.

Her piece "Yams up my Granny's Ass" is aboutthe how women are "treated like shit" and thenexpected to dress up and look nice for dinnerFinley said In the piece Finley spreads yams,chocolate, candies, sprouts and tinsel on hernaked body.

Finley said that as a woman she is not giventhe same professional respect that a whiteheterosexual man would be given.

"I am not expected to be talented," Finleysaid. "I am looked at a hysterical,chocolate-smeared woman."

"My work is an attempt to explore injustices. Ishould have all the opportunities of whitestraight males, but I don't" Finley said

Finley said she also thought that Harvardstudents should call for increased hiring ofminority, gay, lesbian and female faculty.

Finley has gained recognition over the pastdecade as a performance artist, playwright,sculptor and painter. In some of her performances,she spreads food over the her naked body as a wayof addressing issues such as violence againstwomen, AIDS and homophobia.

In addition to calling for protest, Finleydecried the discrimination against minority, gay,lesbian and female artists by "the far right."

"These by white men want to control the us.They don't want women, gay and lesbian, and peopleof color in power," Finley said.

Finley then read from her books, ShockTreatment, and showed slides of her work inorder to show how art can stand as a protest tothe white male power structure.

Her piece "Yams up my Granny's Ass" is aboutthe how women are "treated like shit" and thenexpected to dress up and look nice for dinnerFinley said In the piece Finley spreads yams,chocolate, candies, sprouts and tinsel on hernaked body.

Finley said that as a woman she is not giventhe same professional respect that a whiteheterosexual man would be given.

"I am not expected to be talented," Finleysaid. "I am looked at a hysterical,chocolate-smeared woman."

"My work is an attempt to explore injustices. Ishould have all the opportunities of whitestraight males, but I don't" Finley said