Can You See Me Now? Capturing Beauty on Hoboken’s West Side: Photographs by Roberto Rosa III

March 16 - April 27, 2025

Roberto Rosa III is a photographer, poet, and educator born and raised in Manhattan, NYC’s Lower East Side (L.E.S.). Roberto currently resides in the Downtown Jersey City area, but has been an active member/educator within the Hoboken community since 2010.

He has documented life as it happens around him, but has discovered a passion for showcasing parts of the community often overlooked and misrepresented. When local athlete and teacher’s aide Damon “Nunu” Murray was tragically killed in an act of gun violence last April, this mission became more urgent than ever for Roberto.

Through the HHA Summer Arts Workshop series, presented by Mayor Ravi Bhalla, The City of Hoboken, and Dance With Derrick, Roberto organized a poetry and photography workshop for kids ages 8-15 from the west side of Hoboken. This neighborhood is one that Roberto feels deeply connected to: it’s where his wife, Shakera Frazier-Rosa grew up, and where many of her relatives still reside. Some of the kids enrolled in the workshop were even children of Shakera’s childhood friends.

Roberto guided them in using their five senses to document Hoboken, their neighborhood, building, and apartment through the art of poetry. What became evident through their writing is that many kids knew Nunu and were deeply affected by his death.

Roberto then asked the kids what they find beautiful in their surroundings in order to capture it with photos. They answered that they felt that there is nothing around them that they find beautiful. Seeing this as a profound teachable moment, Roberto asked if he could take photos of the kids in front of their buildings. In his eyes, he insisted that he sees the beauty and promise of each child and was motivated by a sense of mission for others to see the kids the way he does.

This exhibit showcases the collection of Roberto’s photographs from the summer of 2024. He invites us as the viewers to ensure that each child feels seen, validated, and uplifted in their community.

Special thanks to the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development for supporting this exhibit.