Often referred to as the “Forgotten Borough”, Staten Island deserves to be understood and represented to the world as the community-driven, park-filled, beautiful, vibrant creative hub that it is. Seen in Staten Island plans to do just that.

Funded by a 2026 NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Premier Grant through Staten Island Arts, Seen in Staten Island is a public photography exhibition pairing six professional photographers with six photographers with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a reciprocal mentorship exchange. Each pair documents life on the borough side by side — the same streets, the same neighborhoods, the same Staten Island — through different lenses.

The result is a collection of curated photos and paired artist statements displayed in a public exhibition that tells the story of this borough the way it has never been told: by the people who actually live it.

Seen in Staten Island is produced by Shagara LLC with additional support from Staten Island Arts and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.

Status: Photographer open call active · Exhibition planned for Fall 2026

Call to action: Interested in partnering, sponsoring, or being considered as a photographer? Get in touch.