| abstract | - Bourgeoisvant-Garde is a combination of the concepts of 'bourgeois' art and culture and 'avant-garde' art and culture. Both 'bourgeois' and 'avant-garde' are very broad and ambiguous terms; 'bourgeoisvant-garde' maintains the ambiguity of both. The term Bourgeoisvant-Garde was fist uttered by Corey Hanson while talking with his friends and fellow artists Antone Konst, John Martin, and Jordan Johnson. All of these young artists attend CalArts, a private and self described 'experimental' arts institution in the upper class suburb of Valencia, CA. Antone Konst has latched on to the term, which he thinks is very descriptive of the majority of arts and artists today, and has developed the term further. The term is neither negative or positive, but many find it offensive because it challenges 'avant-garde' status. The birth of this new term resolved the discussion these students were having. They were trying to classify the atmosphere at CalArts, which is both an excellent environment for encouraging experimental and avant-garde artistry while maintaining close ties to galleries and museums and institutions which cater to a middle/upper class that does not embrace true subversion of their systems. The balance of (social and cultural) rupture and bourgeois appeal results in subtle and safe subversive art that makes the audience feel excited about change but not afraid of it. This mixture is extremely successful in the arts, because artists can be experimental AND have the support of galleries and institutions. In no way does bourgeoisvant-garde imply that the avant-garde is dead, or that bourgeois culture is void of real content.
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