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Queens Memory COVID-19 Project Collection

Oral History

Edjo Wheeler Oral History (2020)

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Long Island City

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Edjo Wheeler, Full Interview 2

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Alternate titleWhat Shapes Our Communities: Culture Lab LICRequest accessClick the envelope icon ("Contact us about this" button) or contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org to request access to this item.Date recordedJuly 10, 2020DescriptionEdjo Wheeler is the Executive Director of the newly instated Culture Lab LIC. Located at the Plaxall Gallery, Culture Lab LIC is focused on supporting the development and growth of artists, musicians, actors, and their local community.

Wheeler is an artist working primarily in sculpture. Wheeler often integrates welded metal with wood in his sculptural practice, and is drawn to difficult materials and constructions that capture movement. He became involved in the Long Island City arts community through LIC-A (Long Island City Artists), an arts advocacy and membership organization for which he is now on the board of directors. In the 2010s, LIC-A was seeking more permanent gallery space and developed a relationship with Plaxall, a family-owned plastics and real estate company headquartered in Long Island City, which offered a large warehouse space for the group to use. This warehouse became the Plaxall Gallery, where Wheeler worked as Artistic Director.

Wheeler speaks to the collaborative and uplifting nature of his arts-related work, noting the programming and residency programs he helped to develop at Plaxall and Culture Lab LIC. During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wheeler and the newly formed Culture Lab team used the parking lot as a food distribution location and worked together to deliver meals. As time went on, the team offered outdoor music and arts programming at the Culture Lab site. Key to Wheeler’s outlook is community engagement and finding ways to offer much needed resources for artists in and around Long Island City, Queens.

Description written by Ailbhe McDonnell as part of the Citi Center for Culture + Queens Public Library Fellowship Program.IntervieweeWheeler, EdjoInterviewerWong, Jo-AnnSourceThis interview is part of Queens Memory Covid-19 Project's video series, highlighting local businesses, organizations, and artists that contribute and are integral to our local communities.Place of recordingInterview recorded virtuallyGeographic coverageLong Island City (New York, N.Y.)Astoria (New York, N.Y.)Queens (New York, N.Y.)Geographic coordinates^[1]Temporal coverage2011 - 2020Identifierwheeler-edjo-2020-07-10-fullSubjectArts facilitiesArts administratorsArts audiencesArts--Economic aspectsCOVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023Artists and communityFood reliefNonprofit organizationsSculptorsWheeler, EdjoLanguageEnglishTypeOral historyDuration00:47:49Rights statementCopyright held by Queens Borough Public Library. Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.

CollectionQueens Memory COVID-19 Project CollectionOral HistoryEdjo Wheeler Oral History (2020)NeighborhoodLong Island City

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Edjo Wheeler, Full Interview 2