Have you ever really noticed how many faces are embedded in Hoboken’s building facades? Take a special walking tour on Sunday, April 25, starting at noon near the Hoboken Train Terminal with Hoboken artist, graphic designer and photographer McKevin Shaughnessy, whose solo show “The Hidden Faces of Hoboken” has been on view in the Museum’s Upper Gallery since March 14. The exhibit closes on Sunday the 25th with a reception from 2 – 5 pm. 

The tour will be limited to 15 participants, and costs $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers. The tour will begin in front of the former Trust Company of NJ building at 12 Hudson Place and end at the Museum with refreshments. Masks and safe social distancing required. Wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather, as tour will take place rain or shine. To buy a ticket, click the button below, or call 201-656-2240.

Reserve your spot now 

The exhibit may be visited in person, with face masks and limited occupancy under the current state guidelines. Check out our YouTube channel for an artist’s talk with Shaughnessy explaining how the project came together and what he’s learned about “mascarons” (the architectural term for a facade decoration in the form of a face).

Shaughnessy has lived in Hoboken since the mid-1980s, but only recently started noticing how many faces are embedded in the residential and commercial facades of Hoboken’s cityscape. What began as an idle way to entertain himself as he walked through Hoboken became an obsession and a pandemic project: Documenting over 540 (and counting) faces adorning Hoboken buildings. 

“The overall variety is staggering,” he says, “from family portraits to mythical griffins, bald eagles, lion heads, imaginary beasts, viking warriors, a sultan, numerous kings, a wolfman, the wolverine, a birdman, princesses and goddesses, cherubs and the like.”

The exhibit is supported by a block grant from the State/County Partnership program for the Arts, administered by the Hudson County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.