For EYE ON THE EAST VILLAGE Episode 13, Co-Hosts Alex Carpenter & Maegan Hayward of the East Village Vintage Collective sit down with East Village-based painter, sculptor and art/design star SCOOTER LAFORGE. Living and working in the neighborhood for over twenty years, LaForge's work is "inspired by the old masters, cute fluffy animals, and sometimes iconic cartoons," drawing from a number of pop culture and artistic references, ranging from Disney and Popeye to Keith Haring and Rembrandt, among others. He is internationally regarded for his now-famous wearable designs, and has a line of clothing for Patricia Field. Recorded live at Hi-Note on Avenue B, the conversation goes deep into Scooter's upbringing in New Mexico, how and why he landed in the East Village, his creative process in the studio, collaborating with a rich assortment of super talented artists, and much more - plus a lot of laughs!

In addition to his solo show at HOWL! Happening Gallery in New York, he was the subject of a 2024 mid-career retrospective at Leslie Art + Design in Boston, and his work is in the collections of many prestigious collections around the world, including the Friedrichshof in Vienna and Sweden's Spritmuseum’s Absolut Art Colleection among others. Scooter has recently collaborated with Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck and Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard, and he was chosen to be a keynote speaker at Montreal’s Fashion & Design Festival. He was commissioned to create garments for Madonna’s performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as well as the Bitch I’m Madonna video off the Rebel Heart album. Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Debbie Harry have all worn items from his wildly successful clothing line and he has collaborated directly with Debbie Harry on garments created just for her personal and stage use. He was also commissioned to design a concert T-shirt for Blondie’s last tour. And among many awards, he is a recent recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant.

The New York Times has described his work as "recalling the Neo-Expressionism that was popular in the '80s, the manic Neo-Surrealism of George Condo, and the comics-to-graffiti-to-canvas style of Kenny Scharf." Pop culture journalist and NYC nightlife legend Michael Musto has called him "my favorite living artist."

Find out how to watch and learn more about Ethan Minsker's documentary "Scooter LaForge: A Life Of Art," at www.ethanminsker.com (and support East Village artists!) You can also learn more about the making of the film in Eye On The East Village Episode 11 featuring Alex and Maegan's in-depth conversation with filmmaker/artist/bon vivant ETHAN MINSKER.

Scooter and NYC writer and artist JASON HAAF created the June 2025 Pride mural "Resist and Persist: A Lover's Story," located off the 2nd Avenue F Stop in Manhattan. Their recent collaboration, the book "Wasteland," will be out soon.

Follow all things Scooter at www.scooter-laforge.com and follow him @scooterlaforge on Instagram

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