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The liveBooks team is pleased to call attention to photography ambassador Jeff Sheng’s recent series of photos, “The Fearless Project”, which sheds light on “out” lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes at the collegiate and high school levels. The project, which chronicles the athletes from 2003-present, has been exhibited on campuses throughout the U.S., at Nike headquarters, and even at the 2012 London Olympics.

After nearly 10 years Sheng is bringing an end to the photography portion of the project with a Kickstarter campaign that has a $50,000 goal.  Mr. Sheng said he intends to shoot 50 more athletes, add them to the 150 he’s profiled already, and then put all 200 or so into a self-published book by 2013.

To display the photos online Mr. Sheng uses a the liveBooks “Prime” Website, with additional pages and the built-in portfolio landing page.

To visit Jeff’s “Fearless Project” site and view the images, click here.

On a visit to Cambodia in 2002 photographer Bill Smith was taken by a driver to the see the Phnom Penh Municipal Garbage Dump.  This dump, located 20 miles outside the capital, was next to a village called Stung Meanchey.  It was at this large garbage dump that Smith witnessed the horrible sight of hundreds of children digging through scraps for anything that could be sold.  The children would go to the dump in the morning and not leave until the evening hours.  They sifted through toxic trash and waded through dirty water to try and earn $10 a month that would help sustain their families.

The parents of the children had a lifespan of about 40 forty years due to working in the dump and being contaminated by toxins which would lead to TB, lung cancer and other diseases.

Smith and his wife Lauren, were shocked and decided to return to the dump and try and help at least one of these doomed children.  They ended up sponsoring one child and then another and then another.  Smith, his wife and friend Joe O’Neil soon formulated what would become A New Day Cambodia, a non-profit organization providing shelter, food and education to Cambodia’s garbage dump scavenger children.

Today, A New Day Cambodia (ANDC) has opened two centers that house over 100 children.  The children go to school from 7am to 5pm six days a week.  There are 14 full time staffers along with numerous volunteers that help teach English, geography, photography, and many other classes.  The children receive medical care and meals along with exercise and athletic programs.

Please visit www.anewdaycambodia.org where you can see photographs and learn more about this extremely beneficial organization.

Have you ever noticed how animals have an emotional body language that we as humans can relate to?  Working from her Berkeley studio, Tara Tucker creates art that reflects the subtle similarities between animals and humans.  Her exploration into emotional / psychological states and relationship irony is a central theme in many of her works.  Tucker goes to great lengths to research what animals look like and how they have been depicted in history.   She strives for accuracy and at the same time, is a strong believer in not having rules in art.  Her works are exquisite in detail and rich in story.

Check out the fine details of her work here.

Why do we often assume that art is not functional?  On the other hand, why do we rarely view the purely functional as a work of art?  Bayview artist Ian McDonald delves directly into the world of form and function in his bright and austere studio.  With ceramics as a current focus, McDonald also works with wood, textiles and various other materials that allow for direct manipulation.  When asked about his source of inspiration, McDonald revealed that it is the begun process of work itself that serves as his guide on where to go next.

Read an interesting interview and see more images of his beautiful artwork here.