A Photography Exhibit Showcasing A Decade of Philadelphia’s Untold Stories

At AAHMSNJ Atlantic City (Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University)

2200 Fairmount Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ

Admission is FREE. Donations are encouraged.

AAHMSNJ’s newest exhibit, Hotel Brotherhood, is a striking black‑and‑white photography exhibit by veteran photographer Ronald Watkins. It offers an intimate look at Philadelphia’s overlooked and disenfranchised communities.

Photography has long been Watkins’ vocation, filling both his professional and personal life. Shortly after relocating to Philadelphia in the late 1960s, he became deeply aware of the city’s growing population of poor and marginalized residents. From 1968 to 1978, Watkins immersed himself in some of Philadelphia’s toughest neighborhoods, speaking with residents and asking permission to photograph them. He often reflects that these conversations, honest, vulnerable, and human, remain among the most meaningful experiences of his life.

In 2023, Watkins compiled a selection of this work into his book Hotel Brotherhood, named after an old hotel he documented during that era. The new exhibit features a curated collection of images from the book, along with previously unseen photographs that further illuminate the resilience, dignity, and complexity of the people he encountered.

Hotel Brotherhood invites viewers to witness a powerful visual record of community, struggle, and connection, captured through the lens of a photographer committed to telling the stories others overlooked.

Hotel Brotherhood is on display at AAHMSNJ Atlantic City from May 9th to July 25th.

About the Artist

Ronald Cleophus Watkins was born on June 11, 1948, in Newport, Rhode Island, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Navy. He grew up in Pleasantville, New Jersey, attending St. Peter’s Elementary School and Holy Spirit High School before moving to Philadelphia to study at Taylor Business School. Shortly after, he and his wife chose to make the city their permanent home.

Watkins’ lifelong passion for photography soon led him to work alongside Clinton Saffer, one of Philadelphia’s noted wedding and portrait photographers. He later joined National School Studios, now known as Lifetouch, where he photographed more than one million schoolchildren over the course of his career.

In a later chapter of his professional life, Watkins pursued nursing, earning credentials from LaSalle University and the Germantown School of Nursing. He went on to serve as a Registered Nurse at Roxborough Memorial Hospital for 21 years, specializing in medical‑surgical care and patient rehabilitation.

Today, Watkins continues to reside in Philadelphia with his wife of 58 years, Kathleen. They share a close-knit family that includes their two children, daughter‑in‑law, and two granddaughters.