Act Black: The Black Canon—A Collector’s Story
6–7pm
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Join Ali J. Wheeler and Alima Wheeler Trapp of The Black Canon in conversation with Assistant Curator of Collections Es-pranza Humphrey for an intimate discussion about collecting, preserving, and sharing Black cinema history. In this special program, presented in connection with Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen, our two guest speakers will talk about how they developed a deeply personal collection of posters and ephemera, built up over decades by their father James E. Wheeler, into a vital cultural archive for educators, artists, and communities.
Together, the panelists will address the kind of care and labor that goes into maintaining an independent archive like The Black Canon as well as the organization’s collaboration with Poster House and the curatorial choices that shaped its presentation within the exhibition. Through behind-the-scenes stories and collection highlights, they will offer insight into the important, ongoing work of preserving Black performance history.
This event will take place on Zoom. A short audience Q & A will follow the discussion.
Ali J. Wheeler is the cofounder and director of The Black Canon, an arts organization and archive dedicated to preserving and promoting African American literary, performing, visual, and media arts. He currently resides in Dallas, Texas, where he works in Human Resources. Wheeler holds an MBA from Texas Woman’s University.
Alima Wheeler Trapp is the cofounder and director of The Black Canon, an arts organization and archive dedicated to preserving and promoting African American literary, performing, visual and media arts. Beyond her work with non-profit organizations, Wheeler Trapp is a long-standing leader in the field of advertising strategy, helping global brands build more inclusive and culturally grounded communications. She was recently named a Campaign US Inspiring Woman of 2026 for championing change in the industry. She earned a BSc in Marketing and an MA in Advertising, both from Michigan State University.
Es-pranza Humphrey is the Assistant Curator of Collections at Poster House, where her research centers on Black performance, fashion, and visual culture. She has been featured in the New Yorker, NPR, ABC Here and Now, the Fashion and Race Database, and several international publications for her scholarship on the graphic language of the Black Panther Party. Her current exhibition, Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage and Screen, explores Black American theater and film posters from the 1870s to the 1940s.
Accessibility Note: This online event will be hosted on Zoom with attendees’ cameras off. A recording of this event will be made available to all registered attendees. Automated closed captioning will be provided. ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or a CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) is available upon request. Please contact access@posterhouse.org or (914) 295-2387 to request interpretation services and to address any other accessibility needs.