BLACK ART IS WORTH PRESERVING

As siblings and co-founders, we have the responsibility and privilege of continuing our late father, James E. Wheeler's lifelong work as a historian, collector and preservationist.

 In his lifetime, he acquired over 40,000 artifacts from the 1920’s and beyond, including film, books, vintage posters and lobby cards, photographs, magazines and albums, that today we are fighting to protect.

Photo Cred: Caria Taylor

James E. Wheeler (1941 - 2022) dedicated his life to preserving Black film, theater, and media, serving as a testament to the power of cultural preservation, accumulating one of the largest Black film and memorabilia collections in the world. The collection heralds the likes of Dorothy Dandridge, Paul Robeson, Herb Jeffries and Lena Horne; the works of Oscar Micheaux and reel to reel film of Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday, just to name a few.

Despite his invaluable contributions, as a historian, collector and visionary, his story remains vastly untold.    

We are always looking to connect with like-minded individuals and institutions (inclusive of educators, students, Schools and Universities, museums, filmmakers, libraries, tastemakers, arts and culturists). Beyond our curated traveling exhibitions, we are open to exploring custom exhibitions, content creation, licensing, contributions and art lending. 

Photograph: 

Act Black: Black Posters from Black American Stage to Screen, 

Poster House NYC (March 2026)

Step into a one-day vinyl pop-up where thousands of records, hidden away for decades are finally pulled from the stacks and ready to be rediscovered. 

Coming to Detroit: August 8, 2026

Our annual Detroit fundraising event is designed to educate, inspire and foster community, while concurrently advancing our mission. 

Coming: October 3, 2026

Sponsorships Available

We are proud to invest in the future generation of storytellers, archivists, and scholars through our Black Canon Legacy Scholarship, established in honor of our late parents James E. Wheeler and Ruth Ann Wheeler.

Congrats to our first recipient, 

Wallace Bowie III.

Next wave opens: July 2026