Founded by editor Leonard Abrams in 1979, the East Village Eye was an “avant-pop” hybrid magazine-newspaper dedicated to documenting the cultural discourse and happenings of the East Village. Each month until 1987, a rotating ensemble of contributors presented and discussed events, news, issues and notable persons involved in the energetic local art, music and fashion scenes. In fact, the publication was not merely a site to record the distinctive community’s goings-on, but actively shaped and added to the now infamous character and energy of the East Village in the 1980s. The East Village Eye featured artists such as Keith Haring, David Wojnarowicz, Barbara Kruger, Colab and Kiki Smith; musicians like Run DMC, Rock Steady Crew, Beasties Boys and Iggy Pop; and fashion designers and influencers Animal X, Patricia Field, Betsy Johnson and Manic Panic. This collection now functions as an invaluable “time capsule,” transporting readers to the bygone underground cultural scene of the East Village circa 1980.

In the September/October 1980 issue, Abrams writes a manifesto for the East Village Eye and the community: “If there is a cultural underground in New York then its seemingly moderate but hugely necessary role is to attack the wasteland of our mass culture by producing stuff that is alive, that says something, that breaks people out of vacant TV test-pattern consciousness—that brings them back into the human race, so that they’re more than just walking dollar bills for the benefit of con men.” A brash fashion section by Walter Fleming follows, featuring models outfitted in local designers and accompanying articles on Animal X, Betsy Johnson and Patricia Field. Richard Fantina profiles doormen at local nighttime hotspots. Susanna Sedgwick reviews Colab affiliate No Rio’s new space, ABC No Rio, and their first show honoring International Workers Day, which showcased political works on paper. The centerfold offers a sneak preview of the radical comic magazine “World War 3 Illustrated” founded by Peter Kuper, Seth Tobocman, and Christof Kohlhöfer. Peter Fend’s half-page magazine work announces that “France Re-Organizes to Create ‘Ocean Regimes’; Asks Europe to Comply; Fishermen End Strikes.” And like most issues, the “Pooper Scooper” gossip column, in addition to several other articles, catalogues recent music shows and art exhibits with attitude.