angel edwards
angel shanel edwards is a blackqueerandtrans first-generation Jamaican and Philly–rooted artist. They explore the creative modalities of movement, photography, poetics and filmmaking. angel is committed to healing their wounds by listening to the earth, their ancestors, themselves and their community. They have acquired and crafted their artistic gifts through non-institutional spaces, because they don’t believe institutions validate our brilliance—relationships do, we do. edwards cultivates Black queer and trans magic and community every day. They hold this quote by genius Gwendolyn Brooks: “We are each other’s harvest, we are each other’s business, we are each other’s magnitude and bond.”
edwards has been an artist in residence at Urban Movement Arts, Philadelphia, and is currently a Black Spatial Relics artist in residence. Their film THIS IS FOR US has been featured in film festivals globally. They are an alum of the Headlong Performance Institute, Vox Populi, and The William Way Center in Philadelphia; the Center for Performance Research, Brooklyn, New York; and many other spaces have featured their choreographic and/or visual works. Their photographic work appears in mural and wheat-pasting projects across Philadelphia. The Leeway Foundation, Small But Mighty Arts, Mural Arts Philly and Queer Art’s Eva Yaa Asantewaa Grant have supported edwards’ creative work. They are also a 2021 Pew Center for Arts and Heritage fellow.