Kruger was involved with a group of artists from her graduating classes from CalArts in the 1970s, including Ross Bleckner and David Salle, listing them as her “first peer group.” She considered Diane Arbus to be her “first female role model…[that] didn’t wash the floor six times a day.” She also was connected with Julian Schnabel, Marilyn Lerner, Sherrie Levine, Cindy Sherman, Jim Welling, Nancy Dwyer, Louise Lawler, Sarah Charlesworth, Laurie Simmons, Carol Squiers, Judith Barry, Jenny Holzer, Richard Prince, Becky Johnston, and Lynee Tillman. She was also involved in a group called Artists Meeting for Cultural Change.