Samantha Impaglia 
A brand-new photography exhibit that amplifies the voices of kids from Hoboken’s West Side will soon be on display at the Hoboken Historical Museum. Jersey City resident Roberto Rosa III has been involved with the Mile Square community for many years, and spent last summer as an instructor with the Hoboken Housing Authority’s (HHA) Summer Arts Workshop. After the tragic death of Hoboken resident Damon Murray in 2024, Roberto’s mission to showcase parts of the community that are often overlooked and misrepresented became even more clear. His exhibit showcases the people who reside at HHA communities and what they find beautiful in their surroundings, despite any hardships. Read on for more about Can You See Me Now? Capturing Beauty on Hoboken’s West Side, the artist behind it, and the story behind the exhibit debuting at 1301 Hudson Street in Hoboken this weekend.
Photo Credit: Roberto Rosa III
About the Artist
Roberto Rosa III is a local photographer, poet, and educator who was born and raised in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Roberto teaches English Language Arts (ELA) as well as photography and poetry seminars at Hoboken’s Elysian Charter School. He currently resides in downtown Jersey City, but has been an active member and educator within the Hoboken community dating back to 2010.
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The Story Behind the Exhibit
Can You See Me Now? Capturing Beauty on Hoboken’s West Side: Photographs by Roberto Rosa III is a new photography exhibit highlighting the kids who reside at Hoboken Housing Authority communities and what they find beautiful in their surroundings. It will be on display at the Hoboken Historical Museum’s Upper Gallery — located at 1301 Hudson Street — from May 4th through June 22nd.
Photo Credit: Roberto Rosa III
“All of our exhibits mean a lot to me,” Vera Sirota, Communications Associate at the Hoboken Historical Museum shared with The Hoboken Girl. “This one is very important in amplifying the voices of kids from Hoboken’s West side. Rob truly captured their beauty through his photographs.”
The exhibit hits close to home for both Roberto and the kids involved. Last summer, Roberto was a photography and poetry instructor for the HHA Summer Arts Workshop — in collaboration with the City’s Cultural Affairs Division and Dance with Derrick — where he did crucial work in providing the kids ages 8-15 from Hoboken’s West Side with a safe space to process their feelings of grief and alienation after 21-year-old Hoboken resident Damon “NuNu” Murray’s death in spring 2024. Damon, a HHA resident, is remembered by all for his dedication to his community as a local athlete and teacher’s aide.
Through the workshop, Roberto guided the kids in using their five senses to document Hoboken, their neighborhood, homes, and the greater community through the art of poetry. What became evident through their writing is that many kids knew Damon and were deeply affected by his death.
Roberto was insistent on “using his platform to call attention to the voices of kids from the West side of Hoboken for this exhibit.” His mission to showcase parts of the community that are often overlooked and misrepresented became even clearer after Damon’s passing.
Roberto asked the kids what they found beautiful in their surroundings for him to capture it with photos, but was met with responses saying they felt that there is nothing around them that they found to be 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, Roberto 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” — and Can You See Me Now? Capturing Beauty on Hoboken’s West Side was born.
While Roberto is currently a Jersey City resident, he shared with The Hoboken Girl that the West Side is a neighborhood that he feels deeply connected to. The community is where his wife Shakera 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 emphasized the poignance of the exhibit to HG, as April 28th 2025 marked one year since Damon’s tragic death. The exhibit showcases the collection of Roberto’s photographs from the summer of 2024 and invites viewers to ensure that each child feels seen, validated, and uplifted in their community.
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Artist Talk + Opening Reception Details
Ahead of the official exhibit opening date, Hoboken Historical Museum Director Bob Foster will host a virtual Artist Talk with Roberto to discuss his creative trajectory as a photographer as well as more background information about the exhibit on Friday, May 2nd at 7PM. The event will be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.
The exhibit runs from Sunday, May 4th, through Sunday, June 22nd. The opening reception will be on May 4th from 2PM-5PM at 1301 Hudson Street in the Upper Gallery.
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