OUR MissioN
Culture Lab LIC is a 501(c)(3) formed to be the arts and culture umbrella for Western Queens. We present local, national, and international art of all genres, while supporting New York artists and other nonprofits by providing space, resources and a sense of community.
Operating out of a 12,000 square foot converted warehouse, Culture Lab LIC hosts two fine art galleries, an 80 seat theater, classroom space, an 18,000 square foot outdoor venue, and a robust residency program. Culture Lab LIC is dedicated to upholding, equity, diversity and inclusion across all our platforms.
OUR TEAM
Edjo Wheeler, Executive Director
As Co-Founder of The Plaxall Gallery, Edjo has produced over fifty fine-art exhibitions, forty theater and musical productions, over one hundred classes and educational programs and dozens of community events. He has helped raise thousands of dollars for local charities by activating this center for their benefit.
Edjo is a sculptor, designer, curator and filmmaker in New York for the past twenty years. He has been establishing original programs for the arts his whole life, curating his first art exhibition and traveling educational theater troupe when only eighteen years old. Programming credits include the New York Film Academy, School for Film and Television and NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He has worked on twenty films, sixteen television shows and over eighty stage productions as a producer, director or stunt coordinator. Projects include YouTube Originals Sherwood, The History Channel's Woman Warriors, Court TV's Haunting Mysteries, One Life to Live, Guiding Light, and New Amsterdam. Edjo directed over 50 documentary films for The US Department of Energy, Con Edison, Good Will Industries, The City of New York, among others, raising over 1.8 million dollars for these nonprofit educational platforms.
Building The Plaxall Gallery and Culture Lab from scratch with such an amazing team has been a highlight of his career.
Sabrina Bodé, Director of Operations
Sabrina Bodé is a multi-faceted community & cultural worker, born and raised in Queens, NY. She is an experienced program coordinator and developer, youth educator, a lifelong dancer, and a seasoned nightlife manager. From studying both Political Science and Public Policy at SUNY New Paltz and Hunter College, Sabrina seeks to bridge the gaps between the arts and social impact + equitable economic development. Previously coordinating workforce programs at Global Kids, Sabrina now joins the team at Culture Lab LIC as General Manager to collaboratively implement new, innovative structures to ensure further growth, success, and expansion of Culture Lab LIC.
Outside of her admin work, Sabrina leads Sabby Baila dance projects and classes, which seek to honor stories of cultural and social movements from around the globe. Her expertise lies in Hip Hop, House, and Latin styles of dance, paying homage to her own background and hometown of NYC.
Sabrina is excited to further serve her Queens community by upholding the significance of community, partnerships, and diversity here at Culture Lab LIC and finding creative strategies to push forward Culture Lab’s mission and organizational development.
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Tess Howsam, Artistic Director
Tess Howsam is an international director and installation artist. An artistic maverick, Howsam has worked as a multi-hyphenate artist, director, and curator in NYC for over a decade. Central to Howsam’s work are questions of gender roles, audience integration, and building collaborations across artistic mediums. Howsam is a reoccurring Co-Director on projects with Germany company Das Letze de Klinode. Founding Artistic Director of interdisciplinary immersive theater company Exquisite Corpse Company (ECC), Howsam leads the development of ekphrastic immersive theater. ECC’s interactive piece, ZOETROPE, was the New York Times Critic’s Pick and featured in New Yorker Magazine. Howsam has held artist residencies at Guild Hall (East Hampton), El Centro de las Artes de Querétaro (CEART) Querétaro, Mexico, and Town Stages (NYC).. Her work has been featured throughout NYC at venues such as: The Barrow Group, Governors Island, SoHo Rep, and HERE arts center.
“What I love about Culture Lab LIC is that it is an exciting collage of artistic mediums and a space for everyone. When I first came to Culture Lab LIC, I was drawn to it as an artist and an inspirational space to create and produce new work. As Culture Lab LIC’s Artistic Director, I am proud to serve an organization that champions its community, a community built by international and local artists and our neighbors. ” In 2023, Tess was the recipient of The League of Professional Theatre Women’s Lucille Lortel Award.
MFA - Interdisciplinary Arts: Goddard College, Washington
BA - Theater: Bard College, New York
Dawn DeVito, Director of Events & Marketing
Dawn DeVito joins Culture Lab with an extensive background in hospitality management and a passion for the arts within the community. Born and raised in Flushing, Queens and a self-taught illustrator, photographer and graphic designer, Dawn’s main focus in her art and work is New York City.
When not at Culture Lab, Dawn is a returning CUNY student with a focus in Museum and Gallery studies. Dawn’s main passion project is finding ways the arts can be used for coping with mental illness.
Dawn is excited to be involved with Culture Lab LIC and add her expertise to their growth and success as well as help further their mission through community events and partnerships.
Orestes Gonzalez
Director of Photographic Programming
Orestes Gonzalez is a photo artist & curator based in Queens, NY. His photography work relates to issues of nostalgia, family and the political and economic forces changing our country. He has curated over 20 photography shows since 2008, first at the Jeffrey Leder Gallery in LIC, then independently, since 2012. His curated exhibit “Disruption”, opened at the Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) in 2018.
His first monograph,“Julio’s House”, is now a traveling show and was recently shown at The Frederic Snitzer Gallery in Miami and SF Camerawork Gallery in San Francisco (2018, 2019). His monthly photo column,”orestes’ LIC”,in the LIC Courier Magazine, chronicles the many changes in his community of Long Island City, Queens, described by New York Magazine as “the fastest growing neighborhood in the U.S.”
Orestes has shown extensively in the US and Latin America, and is in the collections of The Perez Art Museum, Miami, and the book collections of The NY Metropolitan Museum, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York, among others. In November of 2022, Orestes was named a New Yorker of the Week by NY1 News.
Lisa Charles, Music Talent Coordinator
Lisa Charles comes to Culture Lab with a management degree from NYU, and a background in project management, events planning and music management.
Lisa originally joined us as a volunteer during Covid, lending her event planning and music management experience to help begin Culture Lab's outdoor “Summer Sessions” and our “Winter Culture Lab Live” indoor YouTube programming - where you can also find her behind camera #2!
Lisa is very passionate about community and music and is grateful to be a resident of LIC and a part of the CL Team!
Bill Hopkins, Website Management
Bill is a writer, artist and indie filmmaker, who has been a part of Culture Lab LIC since its inception.
He maintains Culture Lab LIC's official website, assists in maintaining its presence on social media, and has been involved in the creation of various promotional graphics and videos for the gallery.
https://www.facebook.com/williamfhopkins
Board of Directors
Steve Cooper - President
Stephen C. Cooper, Attorney at Law; Member of CB2
Jordan Hare - Treasurer
Director of Planning, Plaxall
Barbara Etzel - Secretary
Licensed real estate sales person, Corcoran
Edjo Wheeler
Co-Founder & Executive Director of Culture Lab LIC
Joshua Chiet - Board Member
Principal Engineer, Dialpad
Tristan Fisher-Smith - Board Member
Director of Creative Fabrication, Eventscape A+D
Jacquline Morin - Board Member
Project Designer, Jeffrey Berman Architect
Tony Pfohl - Board Member
Managing Director, Plaxall
Jessica Rigby - Board Member
Product Management Associate, Merchandising, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ebony Conely - Advisory
Deputy Queens Borough President
Tamsin Dillon - Advisory
CULTURE LAB LIC
Here's a brief look back at 2023 -- a monumental year, thanks to YOU!
A year filled with art, music, theater, community, and love...
Special thanks to the following organizations and
individuals for their continuing support:
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