The Vanta Guild: Family Business

The Vanta Guild:

Family Business

For June I am excited be to presenting “Family Business” a selection of work by members of the Vanta Guild.  With our diverse membership and calls for entry that draw entries from across the nation, it is nice to pause, and feature a collection of mostly younger local talent. The Vanta Guild exists to gather and support community, and parallels the mission of the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts on many levels. We will be hosting a soft opening & open house on Juneteenth followed by a Gallery Night Opening Reception on June 20th.  Family Business was co-curated by Jonathan Pitts-Wiley & Melaine Ferdinand-King to present a positive and uplifting look at connections, across family, across community & across generations.  

 

                                – David DeMelim, Managing Director

                                                                                                                      

 

The Vanta Guild: Family Business

Soft Opening: Juneteenth, Noon – 6:00pm
Opening: June 20th, 5:00 – 8:00pm
Exhibition: June 20th – July 12th

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Curators:

 

About the Vanta Guild:

The Vanta Guild sprang from a desire to have a space that was devoted to engaging with the sensibilities and perspectives of Black photographers. Having met in the fall of 2019 at a local photography meetup, Jonathan Pitts-Wiley and Dee Speaks began to discuss what such a collective might like. Having had a variety of experiences at previous meetups, both were keen on creating an environment where the sensibilities, perspectives, and experiences of Black and Afrodiasporic photographers were at the center of the narrative. 

Given the reality of the early pandemic, much of The Vanta Guild’s initial engagement came by way of social media connection as the group used its platform to uplift the work of photographers from Rhode Island and beyond. Much of this work focused on the social upheaval that gripped the nation following the killing of George Floyd. As public restrictions in the spring and summer of 2020, The group committed itself to in-person connection and creation, launching the first Vanta Guild photo meetup at Providence’s India Point Park in August of that year. 

After a period of successful monthly meetups, the collective began engaging in exhibition work beginning with The Let-Out, which opened at the Waterfire Arts Center in December 2020 and the Barrington Public Library in February 2021. This was followed by a three-production exhibition residence beginning in the fall of 2021 that saw the collective provide accompanying photography for productions of A Lie Agreed Upon, An Octoroon, and Ironbound. In the spring of 2023, the group was invited to present a companion exhibition for The Inferior Sex, which premiered at Trinity Repertory Company.

As The Vanta Guild enters its fourth year, the group continues its mission to be an inclusive space where Black and Afrodiasporic photographers of all ability levels and experiences can develop their skills and, more importantly, be in the midst of a creative community devoted to cultivating, developing, and exhibiting their stories.

 

About Exhibiting Guild Members:

Momolu Akoiwala
A photographer born and raised in Providence, RI, Momolu Akoiwala began his artistic journey in the midst of college as a way of not only expressing himself but also documenting his life and the important things around him. He enjoys portraiture and street photography, gaining inspiration for each through his everyday life. Momo’s goal is to connect with his community through his lens and bring those who view his work to a common feeling when experiencing it.

 

Kai Davis
Originally from Philadelphia, Kai strongly believe that one picture can speak volumes about who we are without needing words, which is why she enjoys photography so much. Kai is of the mind that, whether you’re behind the camera or in front of it, a small aspect of your essence seeps into every image. She uses photography to capture her emotions in the moment, as well as to showcase the moods, emotions, and experiences of those around her. 

 

Aiyah Josiah-Faeduwor
In the modified words of Shawn Corey Carter, Aiyah began as just a hustler disguised as a photographer. Since picking up a camera to support his family’s West African Cuisine restaurant, Bintimani, Aiyah has found value, necessity, and purpose in his photography beyond social media content and is compelled towards photography as archiving the lives and histories of the marginalized living, surviving, and thriving artfully. His work has thus far sought to capture the lives of those he’s intimately close with and he has used his lens–figuratively and literally– with the aim of being both observer and participant in the moments captured. The goal: to see the subject and to see if/how the subject contextualizes themselves and their environment as part of a legacy of under or unrepresented foci and histories of black and brown existence. 

Kincaid McLaren
Kincaid McLaren is a black woman visualizer dedicated to propelling her creative message through the mediums of film and digital photography and video. Kincaid started her creative journey in her hometown of Brockton, MA, where she sought to capture everything that interests her: friends, family gatherings, sports, portrait sessions, and events. After spending years focused on sports photography, she inched her way into portrait photography by offering low-cost photoshoots.

Over time, Kincaid found a common theme within her artwork which was heavily rooted in elevating the beauty, stories, and experiences of her black and brown community, particularly those of black women. With a keen knack for storytelling, she continues to blend poetry, photography, and film into her artistic practice, uplifting and creating spaces and experiences for all to enjoy that are dynamic, freeing, and unapologetically afrocentric. 

Rafael Medina
Rafael Medina is a Dominican-American street photographer from Providence, Rhode Island. His work seeks to see past skylines and popular buildings and explore the crevices of the city. In December 2021, he released Dear PVD, his self-published photo book love letter to his hometown. He currently has a year long exhibition at 100 Westminster St with The Avenue Concept and has had his work featured at the Water Fire Art Center, TF Green Airport, Providence Art Club and various galleries around the city. 

In 2022, he began traveling to other states for street photography and has created an ongoing zine, Out Of My Jurisdiction, showcasing this work. Rafael is also a well-known event and concert photographer and, since 2018, has been a fixture in Rhode Island’s concert scene, shooting local and national acts around Providence as well as the Newport Jazz Festival.

Shaun Morse
Shaun Morse has been a photography enthusiast for several years. The ability to freeze a special moment in time for individuals to cherish has been a passion of Shaun’s since his birth into photography and led him to focus on portraiture. A member since 2020, Shaun joined The Vanta Guild with the sole purpose to be amongst fellow photographers of the Black African Diaspora to showcase each other’s work respectively and unapologetically. 

 

Marlisse Payamps
As a first generation Dominican-American, born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island,  Marlisse Payamps displays her love for culture and connection through her portrait and event photography. Photography has always been a family affair since her younger years. She has vivid memories of her mother scrapbooking her collection of photos and experiencing her grandmother’s passion for displaying family portraits all over her home. It was her Godfather that ignited the spark that inspired her to focus on photography. Duly inspired, Marlisse sought opportunities to capture moments spent amongst families and throughout the community. Her portrait work depicts the subtle in between moments, in an attempt to capture subjects in their true natural essence.

Jonathan Pitts-Wiley
Jonathan Pitts-Wiley is a Rhode Island-based portrait photographer. His portraiture seeks to reflect the beautiful humanity that exists at the delicate intersection of captivating strength and relatable vulnerability. In the spring of 2020, Jonathan co-founded the Black photographer collective, The Vanta Guild. In the summer of 2021, Jonathan collaborated with renowned photographer Mary Beth Meehan to produce Witness, an exhibition that explores the life of his late grandmother, Annye Raye Pitts, and the experiences of the Great Migration. In December 2022, his was one of five portraits selected for the City of Providence’s “Who We Are Now” public art banner project. In May 2024, Jonathan was selected to be an Elected Artist Member with Art League RI.

Beyond photography, Jonathan is the former Creative Director at Curiosity Store in Jamestown, Rhode Island and has, since 2010, been the Artistic Director of Pawtucket, RI’s Mixed Magic Theatre. Jonathan is married to Mixed Magic’s music director, Kim Morrison Pitts-Wiley. The couple has two children.

Sean Powell
Sean Powell is an amateur photographer with a passion for portraiture and street photography. Sean enjoys capturing genuine human interactions and the spontaneous moments that reveal the true essence of everyday life. Whether it’s the candid joy of a child’s laughter or the quiet contemplation of a solitary figure, Sean’s work seeks to capture the beauty found in ordinary moments.

 

 

Kevin Saye Kehyei
Kevin Saye Kehyei is a Liberian American artist who lives in Providence Rhode Island and uses his camera to display the mental health of society. He has done public talks about mental health culture and identity, promoting awareness for each of those topics. Growing up in New Jersey, California, in Rhode Island, he’s seen the suffering of the human mind on the street corners and in artist’s spaces. He uses his camera as a key to unlock conversations of light to those in dark places.

 

Dee Speaks  
Dee Speaks is a Black woman photographer born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. She has a deep passion for documenting the Black experience in her hometown. Dee’s interest in photography began in high school, but it wasn’t until later in adulthood when she fully pursued her craft. She primarily focuses on event and portrait photography, capturing the essence and vibrancy of her subjects.

Dee has had the pleasure of collaborating with prestigious institutions such as Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, RISD Museum, Rhode Island Monthly, and Providence Performing Arts Center. She thoroughly enjoys creating visually stunning content that resonates with viewers.

In the spring of 2020, Dee co-founded The Vanta Guild, a Rhode Island-based photography collective dedicated to showcasing the work of Black photographers. Through her work, Dee continues to celebrate and elevate the narratives of the Black community in Providence.

Imani Ylsanita 
Ylsanita, a multidisciplinary designer and photographer, was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island within the embrace of a Dominican and Guyanese immigrant family. Ylsanita started their photography journey with the drive to capture the culture and enclaves that fill the South Side of Providence. Heritage and the drive for cultural preservation informs the subjects Ylsanita photographs. For the past five years, they have focused on documentary photography, aiming to capture Broad Street’s prevalent bike-life culture, the vibrant Black and Brown creative community of Providence, and the authentic and vulnerable essence of individuals within the surrounding area.

 

The Vanta Guild: Family Business

Soft Opening: Juneteenth, Noon – 6:00pm
Opening: June 20th, 5:00 – 8:00pm
Exhibition: June 20th – July 12th

 

The RI Center for Photographic Arts, RICPA 118 N. Main St. Providence, RI 02903
Located in the heart of Providence, RICPA was founded to inspire creative development and provide opportunities to engage with the community through exhibitions, education, publication, and mutual support.

RICPA exists to create a diverse and supportive community for individuals interested in learning or working in the Photographic Arts. We strive to provide an environment conducive to the free exchange of ideas in an open and cooperative space. Members should share a passion for creating, appreciating, or learning about all forms of photo-based media. We work to provide a platform for artistic expression, that fosters dialogue and drives innovation in the photographic arts.

We are member supported, the first step to membership is registration – https://www.riphotocenter.org/registration Details on membership options can be found at https://www.riphotocenter.org/membership-info 

The Gallery at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts is a member of Gallery Night Providence https://www.gallerynight.org

Questions: Contact gallery@riphotocenter.org  To learn about other RICPA exhibits and programs, visit https://www.riphotocenter.org