Legendary photographer and videographer Clayton Patterson—who Anthony Bourdain described as the “Godfather of Lower East Side documentaries”—is the subject of a biographical graphic novel anthology. Like no other, Clayton has documented the often-overlooked people and cultural contributions of New York’s Lower East Side—sometimes finding himself in perilous situations as a result. Best known for his documentation of the Tompkins Square Police Riots in 1988, Clayton lived at the intersection of numerous underground cultures, from drag queens to punks, outlaws to tattoo artists, breathing in the same creative energy that gave life to many New York icons. In a time when the future of the city is threatened by hyper-gentrification, Clayton, whose work has documented the creative DIY underbelly of the Lower East Side, has become an icon of an increasingly vanishing New York.

In the tradition of Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor, eighteen artists pay tribute to him in the graphic novel anthology Clayton: Godfather of Lower East Side Documentary, the first biography of this iconic artist intertwined with a rich history of the Lower East Side over the last forty-five years.

Clayton Patterson will be in conversation with author Julian Voloj, as well as Maegan Dolan and Jesse Lambert—two of book’s contributing artists. A limited number of copies of the book will be available for sale at the event.

Space is limited, so please RSVP!

This event is organized in tandem with City Lore’s current exhibition, Concrete Chronicles: Lower East Side Photos by Martha Cooper and Clayton Patterson, on view through February 1, 2026.