Jennie Shanker

Jennie hopes to unpack the social, economic, and health concerns that have divided communities concerned about drilling for natural gas in Pennsylvania by putting Marcellus Shale rock, recast into the form of a drinking cup, into the hands of the public. Holding a cup brings the question of water contamination in direct physical relation to one’s body. The project is meant to confront people with a natural material that for the past five years has been dividing communities. This project uses art to frame and creatively inform the public debate surrounding shale gas drilling–particularly addressing the safety of our drinking water in the Philadelphia area and the Delaware Valley. 

Support for materials for millenial sculpture installation at Gallery Joe's Bird Park, Philadelphia, December 1999 -February 2000.