Publisher: Smallworks Press

Photographers William Shea and Patrick Lai release the first ever photo documentary about the Las Vegas street art and graffiti scene with the intention of creating awareness about the unseen talent and hidden benefits that street art contributes to the art community. The 8 x 10 book is made up of 200 pages, and consists of 252 high quality full color images. The project time frame covers several years, with photos from all parts of the valley and the Life is Beautiful Festival. Introduction by writer and journalist Ed Fuentes.

About Ed Fuentes

Ed Fuentes is a cultural journalist who has been covering the Inland Empire, the High Desert, and downtown Los Angeles for KCET since 2010.  He lived in downtown Los Angeles for 13 years before moving to Las Vegas, where he covers regional art, including murals and street art, at painthisdesert.com. In 2018, Fuentes received his masters degree in fine art from UNLV.

About Patrick Lai

Patrick Lai is a professional landscape and street art photographer who immigrated to the United States from China in 2005.  Lai worked diligently to master various photo editing programs and earned his college degree in commercial photography from the College of Southern Nevada. After graduating, he turned his focus toward learning computer languages and later enrolled in the computer science and fine arts degree program at UNLV.  Lai later became instrumental in the creation of the first published book that focuses on graffiti and street art in the city of Las Vegas. He remains is committed to producing only the highest quality images and has been known to spend hours on reviewing and editing his work.

About Phyllis Needham

Phyllis Needham is an American professional that provides editing and proofreading services to publishers, businesses, organisations, academic institutions and individuals. Needham has extensive experience in the areas of editing, copy editing, english grammar, proofreading, ghost writing, and other publishing needs.

About William Shea

William Shea is a professional photographer, writer, and artist that lives in the city of Las Vegas. Originally from the Boston area, Shea moved to New York City in 1997, and then in 2005, moved to Las Vegas to further his career in the casino business. Starting in 2010, Shea left gaming and returned to school at UNLV to pursue his passion for photography and writing. In January of 2011, he began working on new projects that focused on improving the awareness of art and culture in Las Vegas. Since the recession of 2008, Shea currently believes that the city needs to evolve from its pro-casino beliefs, into a well-rounded environment that embraces the individual talents of its residents. As of November 2016, Shea works as a graphic and editorial designer while serving as the treasurer of the Las Vegas Arts District.