Marquise Mays has been awarded the BE Legacy of Excellence Award in the arts category. The award, now in its 41st year, honors Black Milwaukeeans who serve their community.
Award categories include arts, community service, business, culture, religion, health, and more. The public ceremony supports the Louvenia Johnson Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to Black high school seniors pursuing college or trade school.
Mays was nominated by an anonymous community member in recognition of his involvement and impact in Milwaukee’s arts community.
Although he considers himself early in his practice, he said the recognition is meaningful at this stage of his career.
“It means a lot to receive this award at this point in my career. I still feel like I’m an emerging artist and academic,” Mays said. “To have something this large to my name is extremely exciting and humbling and makes me excited for what’s going to happen in the future.”
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Mays said the recognition is especially meaningful in the city where he developed his lifelong interest in film. He never expected that the campus where he spent time in his formative years would later become his professional home.
In addition to its personal significance, Mays said the award reflects the work being done within the Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres.
“It is important to students, especially Black students, to see that I have chosen Milwaukee and my place to offer my work to, because I do believe that Black filmmakers and storytellers from this city are the greatest I’ve ever met,” Mays said. “FVANG has always been a place that has championed diversity of thought and opinion, and art, so this is just adding a beautiful notch to the environment that FVANG has already created.”
Receiving the BE Legacy of Excellence Award has also prompted Mays to reflect on the work he has done in recent years and how it will shape his practice going forward.
“I feel like this honor has made me see that I’ve reached a new threshold, and it makes me proud of the work I’ve done in the past five or six years. It speaks towards myself, my city, and my people,” Mays said. “The work that comes after this award is truly going to be from my perspective, my voice, and what I’m interested in. I’m excited that I get to experiment a little more with my practice as opposed to being so strict about my performance.”
To learn more about Marquise Mays and his work, visit his Faculty Directory page.
Story by Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)