This article discusses the role of meaning in the institutionalization of performance art between 1970 and 2000. Ethnographic field data and historical documents evidence the changing dynamics of the field. The definition held by members of a particular field determines, in part, the manifestation of that field. The meaning of performance art is described from the viewpoint of the participants. The process of institutionalization is shown as a paradox for American avant-garde art. Artists and venue providers seek to address these contradictions by democratizing the art form through embracing egalitarian curatorial practices and culturally diverse venues and nonart audiences. Thus institutionalization is a process of negotiation shaped by meaning as well as social structure.
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