This event is part of a series – see below for details.May 2, 2025 10:00 a.m.
Mays Boyz Makin' NOIZE: A Father and Sons Exhibition
Event Details
Mays Boyz Makin’ NOIZE: A Father and Sons Exhibition
On view in the gallery at the WaterFire Arts Center
Thursday, May 1 – Sunday, June 1, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 1, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Timed to coincide with the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, Mays Boyz Makin’ NOIZE is a bold and reflective exhibition by Don Mays, presented in collaboration with his sons, Zachary (Zac) and Nicolas (Nic) Mays. Through video, photography, and mixed media, the exhibition confronts systemic racism, displacement, and the ongoing struggle for justice with unflinching urgency and creative force.
The exhibition features three bodies of work by Don Mays. “Unbroken Chains” investigates the generational impact of structural racism. “These Truths” is a photographic series capturing the spirit and intensity of the 2020 racial justice protests in Providence—a local echo of a global reckoning. “Lady Justice” is a mixed media piece that poses the question, “Is she truly blind?”. Together, these works reflect Mays’ commitment to using art as a vehicle for resistance, reflection, and change.
In this powerful moment of remembrance and action, Don Mays has invited his sons into the gallery space, amplifying the exhibition’s message with intergenerational voices. The result is a dynamic and urgent call to “make NOIZE”—to resist injustice through art, to speak truth to power, and to pass on a legacy of creative defiance.
The exhibition is on view in the WaterFire Arts Center gallery from Thursday, May 1 through Sunday, June 1, 2025, with an opening reception on Thursday, May 1 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The third Thursday of the month, May 15, is Gallery Night Providence, when the WFAC gallery, along with other art spaces in the city, will be open late with trolley tours available.
Additional Exhibition Programming:
- “These Truths” – Film Screening + Community Discussion
Sunday, May 25, 2:00–3:30 p.m.
A reflection on the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, held within the gallery. Learn More>> - “Michaelle, More Than A Muse” – A Poetry Reading in Honor of Michaelle Saintil
Thursday, May 29, starting at 6:00 p.m.
A night of poetry and remembrance honoring Michaelle Saintil—Unbroken Chains model, writer, poet, and spoken word artist. Learn More>>
The WaterFire Arts Center store + gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday until 9:00 p.m. Admission is free and open to all; donations are encouraged.
Artist bios below are written in their own words.
Don Mays
Throughout my professional life as a filmmaker, theatre director, writer, photographer, and producer, I’ve always described myself as an Artist, Educator and Activist/Advocate. In that order. Each fueling the others. At the heart of all the work that I do, there is an element -prominent or subtle- of social justice. When asked, who are my influencers, my response is not who but what. I am influenced most, by living in the skin a Black man in America; rejoicing in the pride of my Blackness while rejecting, and/or repelling the intended pain and hardship forced upon it. No matter the medium, I am driven to create thought-provoking narratives that deeply engage both the intended receiving audience and the casual observer alike. The goal of my work is to penetrate mind, body and soul and press upon the psyche to examine societal injustices. It is through my art that I say, “Let’s have that conversation.”
Originally from St. Louis, I grew up in a large, poor(ish), working class family that recognized the importance and value of education. Although neither of my parents graduated high school, college for my siblings and I was never a question. I spent my undergraduate years as a Theatre Major at Drake University and went on to the National Shakespeare Conservatory in NYC to become a classically trained actor/director. It was at the Conservatory that I discovered that I preferred directing over acting; that along with the fact that, at the time, most roles for 20-something Black males were one-dimensional, negative stereotypes. I decided I could do better. I left NYC, relocated to Newport, Rhode Island and founded my production company AFRI Productions. It was my intention to spend two years in Rhody and then return to New York with the perfect, Broadway-bound play in-tow. But, here am I, some thirty-plus years later, a proud Providence artist with a body of work that includes the writing/directing/producing a feature film (Same Difference), two short films (Box Preacher, These Truths [included in this exhibit]), a feature film in pre-production (Franklynstein: A Dark tale), a web documentary, (The Virtual Visit, with Plan USA shot in Uganda), and four completed feature film scripts, (Guilty Until Proven, That long Hot Summer, Last Christmas, and Aesop’s Chop Shop).
One of my current/on-going projects is the audio-play series, God Talks To An Agnostic, a collaboration between AFRI and The Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence. We’ve completed three seasons (12 episodes/season) of this provocative, true-to-life family dramedy that examines the role of religion, race, love, loss and other issues impacting modern Black culture. The weekly series airs summers on Rhode Island Public Radio (RIPR) and is available on podcast everywhere.
My stage directing credits include the recent wildly successful Wilbury Theatre Group production of “Fat Ham,” by James Ijames. Other Wilbury credits include, Hypeman, Miss You Like Hell and Silhouette of a Silhouette. I’ve also directed at theatres in Rhode Island including Providence Black Rep productions of Yellowman, The Bluest Eye and The Colored Museum, Cabaret at Brown University, Clue and By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at the University of Rhode Island and, All In The Timing and Radium Girls, at Rhode Island College, Lysistrata at Wheaton College, Canfield Drive and several devised theatre pieces at Bristol Community College.
Finally, I could not be more proud that I get to share this exhibition space with my two sons, in this, their first gallery showing. I’ve had the privilege of watching them from the time they picked up cameras as teens to photograph their friends for fun to discovering their individual creative brilliance through the camera lens. As you will see in this exhibition, although we are a family-affair, we each have our own style, taste and passion for the images, stories and messages we seek to project in our photography. Mays Boyz Makin’ Noize is our first show together but I can guarantee this will not be our last.
facebook.com/don.mays2
@dmays.pics
Zacary Mays
I am a native Newporter who grew up heavily interested and active in sports. In high school I played football, basketball and was a sprinter on the track team, and as an undergrad I played on the university rugby team. Entering college, unsure of my exact career path, the only thing I knew was that I wanted to somehow remain connected to the world of athletics. It wasn’t until I picked up a camera at the age of nineteen that I discovered my true creative side. From landscapes to cityscapes, shooting sporting events to friends and family gatherings, I sought to take images that captured certain moments in time. With this newfound passion, I decided to major in Graphic Design, and completed a B.F.A. at Roger Williams University. After that I went on to the University of Oregon where I received my M.S. in Sports Product Management. I’ve worked with design firms on both coasts (Rhode Island, San Diego, and Portland), and spent some time as a designer for Nike. I was able to bring a little of New England to the Nike campus by designing a Fenway Park-themed meeting/lounge space. I currently reside in Portland, Oregon where I am a Freelance Creative with clients in sports, fashion and product packaging.
Nicolas Mays
Nicolas Mays, the youngest creator of the group, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, and is now based in New York City. Specializing in abstract imagery across liminal spaces, they experiment with light and motion to craft distinctive compositions. Working without formal training, they explore the interplay of light, shadow, and motion blur, evoking a sense of melancholic nostalgia and inviting viewers to see the familiar in new and unfamiliar ways. Through long exposure techniques and unconventional framing, they create atmospheric visuals that capture fleeting moments of distortion and transition. Their pieces often feel like glimpses into forgotten spaces, resonating with a quiet, dreamlike quality that lingers in the mind, offering a unique take on themes of memory, movement, and impermanence.
Organizer
