Originally from New York, Jennie Shanker has lived and worked as an artist in Philadelphia since 1982. She has served as an exhibition consultant for Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, worked on multiple community revitalization projects in North Philadelphia with Mural Arts, and was a founding member of Philadelphia’s Vox Populi Gallery. She currently teaches at Tyler School of Art and the University of the Arts. Shanker’s recent project, The Marcellus Clay Experiment, has led her to an interest in developing work that examines contentious current events where reductive, ideological, and political stances have degraded the potential for important, nuanced discussions. Shanker is interested in generating space for access, information, dialogue, and understanding.