Jennie Shanker, a sculpture instructor at the Tyler School of Art, is creating ceramics using clay from Marcellus Shale, a new source for natural gas through the much-debated method of hydraulic fracturing. Her work was recently on display at the Temple Gallery. In The New York Times' "Dot Earth" blog, Shanker explained how she is driven by a do-it-yourself passion for creating the materials that she uses for her artwork. "Clay is abundant and free. Working with clay has made me realize that we're surrounded by materials we no longer recognize, that there are incredible resources available to all of us underfoot and right outside our doors."