OUR STORY
Preservation + Legacy
We are a brother and sister duo dedicated to preserving not only Black Art in the form of our vast collection, but also our father's legacy. Upon his passing, we were blessed to inherit his groundbreaking life's work, amassing over 40,000 collectibles from the 1920's and beyond across film, visual arts, albums, books, magazines, artifacts and other memorabilia.
In the spirit of revitalization, we have formed The Black Canon, LLC as a parent company, inspired by the root definition of canon: a body of the most important, influential, or superior works in music, literature or art.
Our non-profit arm, The Black Canon Collection, is designed as a charitable and educational platform with the goal of housing, curating, preserving and archiving the collection.
THE VISIONARY
The Originator and Our Inspiration: James E. Wheeler
Our father, James E. Wheeler began collecting memorabilia as a young man. Watching movies and listening to music outside his parent’s juke joint in Lumber, Arkansas was the beginning of his fascination with Black media and storytelling. He was one of the nation’s leading collectors and archivists of Black films that most have never heard of.
His interest in the arts, theater and music drove his curiosity to study and research a world that most to this day don’t know ever existed. His organization, Concept East II (founded 1986), was an extension from his participation as an actor in the Concept East Theater in Detroit, in the 1960s. The collection was affiliated with several prestigious institutions including The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, The University of Texas and Harvard University. The peak of his collection was in 1997, when selections were featured in a historic exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Help Us Make History
Support our mission by donating to our cause (Road to 100) or shopping our store.