About

11 East 14th Street is my effort to find  the origins and understand the evolution and culmination of  visual and performance arts —  art forms created to explain our shared existence, make life understandable and, at a minimum, bearable.  I’m probably a lot like you.  If you’ve read even this far we may have something in common.  I’m not an academic and certainly don’t consider myself an  intellectual.  My interest in the arts leans heavily toward art forms usually labeled, “entertainment.”  But entertainment means the engaging of the senses; of interest.  At some level, the best art entertains, though not always in the sense of  making you “forget your troubles, come on, get happy!”

Despite the name and header image, this is not a blog devoted to D.W. Griffith, silent film, or the cinematic arts in general.  Depending on how it evolves, I may have to spit this endeavor into separate discrete forums for specific topics.   However, at least in the short term, I will focus more of my attention on film, film acting, silent and early sound film, and the horns of a social and artistic dilemma commonly known as “movie stardom.”

My interests are wide (and, I think, not shallow), and with any luck you’ll find something here at least occasionally that will make you think, smile, chuckle, laugh, sigh, groan or just make you nod your head up and down or sideways.  I’m always interested in other opinions especially in areas where I’m pretty damn sure I’m right and my understanding is better than just about anyone’s.  I’ve been proven wrong enough times to be humble.  But I won’t refrain from trying to change your mind if we disagree and I sincerely hope you will do the same.  I won’t engage in the shouting/hating/baiting bullshit we see all too frequently in nearly every internet forum.   I think we as a culture (very dangerous and controversial word, “culture”) have forgotten how to “argue” in the constructive sense of that word.  Argument isn’t angry impasse, but rather a rational airing of opinions AND the facts behind them.  Thanks, and I hope you enjoy what you find here!

More about ’11 East 14 St’ is contained in this post, here:

http://violdam6.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/where-and-what-is-11-east-14th-street/