The Metro: Black film history treasures coming to Livonia
The Black Canon is teaming up with the Redford Theatre to display a rare collection of Black films dating back to the 1920s at a special benefit event at Taylor’d Garden.
The Black Canon will host "Art of the Ages," a benefit, exhibit and brunch experience to preserve Black art and history, on Sunday, Oct. 13 at Taylor'd Garden in Livonia.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly suggested that the benefit event was being held at the Redford Theatre in Detroit.
Detroiter James E. Wheeler collected 40,000 pieces of Black independent film memorabilia, preserving the history of what is known as “race films” and more. Wheeler died in 2022, but his kids Alima Wheeler Trapp and Ali J. Wheeler started The Black Canon to preserve and show the collection.
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The Black Canon, with support from the Redford Theatre, is hosting its first benefit Art of the Ages, on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Taylor’d Garden in Livonia. The event will include an exhibition of rare Black films dating back to the 1920s. Brunch will also be served.
Redford Theatre Programmer and volunteer John Monaghan joined The Metro on Monday to discuss the collection and how you can see part of it this weekend.
“It all starts with my friendship with James Wheeler, who is sort of a well known figure in Detroit, really, for the last 40 or 50 years as an activist, as a collector, involved in theater,” Monaghan said. “He passed about three years ago. And his kids, Ali and Alima, they’ve taken on this amazing project of cataloging and preserving all the stuff that he collected over the years. And I’m talking about a lot of stuff. This is a warehouse that’s filled with, I compare it to that scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, maybe a little smaller. But it’s just, it’s full of books and records and posters and magazines, toys, dolls, photos, and a lot of 16 millimeter film.”
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Monaghan.
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