LAS VEGAS Full Recap x Life Is Beautiful X Corporate Welfare Mural

September 27, 2016

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LAS VEGAS Full Recap x Life Is Beautiful X Corporate Welfare Mural

Last week I was in Las Vegas for the Life is Beautiful (LIB) festival. I was happy to be part of this festival which aims to bring together music, art, food, and learning in downtown Las Vegas. With the help of my crew and securing a location with the LIB curatorial arm Just Kids, I completed my Corporate Welfare mural, which in this time in the election season is a message to continue to push through. This piece is a comment on corporate subsidy. While average Americans struggle to make ends meet, many profitable industries and corporations receive tax breaks and subsidies due to the dangerously disproportionate influence corporations have on politics and policy, specifically the oil and gas industries which have continued to have a stronghold on Washington. If you want to learn more about how these corporations support the Republican party, check out the numbers from the Center for Responsive Politics HERE.

Thanks to Life is Beautiful for allowing me to take this message to the streets. And thanks for allowing me to be a part of the learning portion of the festival with my talk which was brief but well-attended. I appreciate everyone who came out to listen.

As comes with most of my public murals, the space was a little different that what we were told ahead of time, but luckily I’m used to adapting on the the fly. A massive thank you as always to my team – Dan Flores, Nicholas Bowers, Rob Zagula and Jon Furlong.

Next time you’re in Las Vegas check it out, and see Jon’s photos below. Thanks for caring!

– Shepard

Four men on a sidewalk, seen from above, unpacking boxes next to traffic cones and barriers.

A person's hands holding a crumpled paper with a design of a fist holding money and text "CORPORATE WELFARE?" and "Be a…

Shepard Fairey on a lift, working on a large mural on a building wall, with paint cans and supplies around him.

Shepard Fairey on a lift, carefully applying spray paint to a large mural on a building wall.

A large mural on a building featuring a red section with "CORPORATE WELFARE?" and an oil drop, and a tan section with a fist…

A person on a lift, painting a large red mural with floral patterns and the text "CORPORATE WELFARE?" on a building wall.

Shepard Fairey, seen from behind, on a lift, carefully placing a stencil onto a large mural on a building wall.

A view through an archway of a street with a large mural on a building, an American flag, and a "DETOUR AHEAD" sign.

A large mural on a building featuring a fist holding money and text "Be a Maker! Not a Taker!", with satellite dishes in the…

Shepard Fairey on a lift, looking up at a large mural he is working on, which features a fist holding money and text "Be a… Shepard Fairey on a lift, working on a large mural on a building wall, which features a fist holding money and text "Be a…

Shepard Fairey on a lift, working on a large mural on a building wall, carefully peeling off a stencil.

Shepard Fairey showing a design to another man, both standing on a street, with the man in glasses looking thoughtful. A large mural on a building featuring a red section with "CORPORATE WELFARE?" and an oil drop, and a tan section with a fist… Two men on a lift, working on a large mural on a building wall, carefully applying stencils and paint.  A man painting a red floral pattern on a building wall next to a large blue "FREMONT CENTER" sign. A large mural on a building featuring a red section with "CORPORATE WELFARE?" and an oil drop, and a tan section with a fist…