NYC’s MFTA Artist In Residence Scooter Presents “Lucky Finds Second Chances” Upcycled Fashions, Playful Paintings

“As a native New Yorker, I find Scooter’s work familiar and comforting,” said MFTA Executive Director Tara Sansone. “His cartoonish creations drip down their canvas and burst out of their frame, resembling that classic graffiti look characteristic of our city. There’s a palpable buzz in the air after our city’s historic wins. From winning the NBA Finals to hosting the World Cup, New Yorkers are teeming with excitement. Scooter’s a tried-and-true downtown artist keeping NYC raw and gritty, and I can’t help but feel the alignment of his work with the proud and joyous summer New Yorkers have had this year.”

“Materials for the Arts felt like the world’s greatest treasure hunt. Every shelf held a surprise, every aisle sparked a new idea, and every unexpected material pushed me somewhere I never would have gone on my own. It reminded me that creativity often begins with curiosity,” said MFTA Designer-in-Residence Scooter LaForge.

Known for his distinct graffiti style, Scooter LaForge created original designs featured on HBO’s “The White Lotus,” he has collaborated with Debbie Harry and Blondie, his designs are showcased in the Patricia Field store, and he’s created costumes for Madonna (who most recently wore his clothing for an interview with The Graham Norton Show). A true downtown artist, LaForge’s cartoonish creations have a genuine New York City feel with playful interpretations of beloved characters like Bambi and Popeye; his vintage caricatures’ urban twist has multigenerational appeal.

In “Lucky Finds: Second Chances,” Scooter LaForge transforms the MFTA Gallery with bright pink and blue walls, showcasing one-of-a-kind pieces made from second-hand materials found in the MFTA warehouse, creating the feel of a downtown clothing boutique. His exhibition includes several paintings and design pieces throughout the space, surrounded by Mickey Mouse plushies reading books, Barbie dolls, and other plushies framing artwork. For an artist inspired by all things vintage — Mickey Mouse plushies, ’50s-era suitcases, and a ridiculous amount of Barbie dolls, to name a few — MFTA was a literal Candyland, where inspiration and access were aplenty among the abundant ephemera that graces MFTA’s warehouse floor.

LaForge inventively revives vintage and second-hand pieces with dabs of humor: a Frankenstein smoking a cigarette alongside the words “smoking kills”; a violin transformed into the face of a coyote; a bear painting featuring an attached fake hand with the words “always lend a hand”; and a short-sleeved shirt featuring a giant eyeball with elastic undergarment straps attached like fringe mimicking eyelashes. Scooter works across a range of media, from a painting of a rabbit made from felt to a painting of Popeye layered on top of a chalkboard and framed by dolls and plastic ponies. Even lamps and a vintage chair are given new life, alongside garments adorned with tassels and glittering fringe and t-shirts featuring cartoon characters.

Launched in 2023, MFTA’s Designer-in-Residence program provides designers with a stipend, free studio space, and access to endless supplies at MFTA’s warehouse. This program joins the long-running MFTA Artist-in-Residence program as one of the ways MFTA supports, fosters, and provides a platform for creators working at the intersection of art and reuse.

LaForge created his work in MFTA’s newly renovated designer space, dedicated to supporting the MFTA Designer-in-Residence, Young Designers, and Repair programs. In alignment with MFTA’s mission, the renowned firm CO Adaptive designed and built the new studio space in MFTA’s warehouse, made entirely from reused, donated, and salvaged materials, sourced mostly from MFTA. The studio space unifies all of MFTA’s pioneering residency programs in one space.

Scooter LaForge will host a t-shirt silkscreen workshop on Thursday, September 3, 2026 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM as a part of MFTA’s free Third Thursday programming, creating pathways for New Yorkers to access art and creative reuse in the city. “Lucky Finds: Second Chances” is on view in the MFTA Gallery through September 17, 2026, welcoming visitors Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. (excluding federal holidays). Admission to this exhibition is free and open to the public.

Scooter LaForge (b. Las Cruces, New Mexico) is a New York–based artist who has lived and worked in the East Village for two decades. Drawing on art history and classical themes, he creates vividly contemporary works across painting, sculpture, and drawing, marked by unorthodox techniques and striking, iconic imagery. His pieces function as an intuitive visual journal, shaped by an agile, exploratory approach and a wide emotional range.

LaForge’s work has been exhibited at the Leslie-Lohman Museum in New York, the Friedrichshof Museum in Vienna, and the Spritmuseum/Absolut Art Collection in Stockholm. A feature-length documentary, “Scooter LaForge: A Life of Art” (dir. Ethan Minsker), was released in 2023, and a 30-year survey of his paintings opened at Lesley University College of Art and Design in 2024.

He also designs a celebrated line of bespoke clothing sold through Patricia Field’s ArtFashion Gallery. His pieces have been worn by Madonna, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, and Debbie Harry, and his costume design has been part of Emmy-nominated and Tony-nominated work. LaForge is a recent recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant.