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Morgantown Crankie Festival
Saturday, May 30, 7 pm
​Sundaym May 31, 4 pm & 7 pm

at the Monongalia Arts Center (MAC)
​107 High Street, Morgantown, West Virginia

​What is a crankie?

A crankie (sometimes called a moving panorama) is a handmade, scrolling artwork that i painted, printed, cut, or sewn and comes to life in performance. As the artist turns a crank, the images move from one spool to another, revealing a story over time, often accompanied by live music, song, or spoken word.

​Rooted in folk and community storytelling traditions from around the world, these paper movies continue to be reimagined by artists today. The Morgantown Crankie Festival celebrates crankies as storytelling machines where visual art, music, poetry, and storytelling come together to create a kind of low-tech magic that is ​intimate and handmade.

About the festival

The Morgantown Crankie Festival is a new, community-centered gathering celebrating crankies. The festival brings together over 20 artists from West Virginia and beyond, alongside local performers, makers, and community members.
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You can expect:

• Live crankie performances throughout the weekend
• A mix of locally created work and visiting guest artists
• Opportunities to learn about and make crankies
• A welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere 

Festival schedule

Each performance features a different lineup of crankies—so no two shows are the same.

• Friday, May 30 at 7 pm 
• Saturday, May 31 at 4 pm 
• Saturday, May 31 at 7 pm

Recommended for ages 8+
Reserve your seat: bit.ly/morgantowncrankie

List of Performers and Artists

Thanks to the Center for Cultural Vibrancy for their micro-grant which is supporting several of the visiting artists (*) to be able to attend the festival and the creation of two new crankies. 

• Annick Odom (Morgantown, WV) *
• Annie Trimble (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Barbara Walker (Morgantown, WV)
• Carol Denney (Elkins, WV)
• Chris Haddox and Eddie Spaghetti (Morgantown, WV)
• Christie Slingluff (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Denise and Richard Warren Smith (Morgantown, WV)
• Double Trouble Duo, Linda Durrett and Yank Halmuth (Green Bank and Philippi, ​WV)
• Emily Lehr (Morgantown, WV)
• Evan Clough (Morgantown, WV) *
• Francene Kirk (Morgantown, WV)

• Hannah Lewis (Detroit, MI) *
• Hannah Standiford, with Annick Odom and Judy Swanson assisting (Pittsburgh, PA) *
• Jo Ann Dadisman (WV)
• Jody & Jay Best (Confluence, PA)
• Katherine Fahey and Dan Van Allen, also known as The Lantern Sisters (Baltimore, MD)
• Lindsay McCaw (Detroit, MI) *
• Olivia Perske (Elkins, WV)
• Peter Stevenson, with Mark Kemp assisting (Wales, UK & Morgantown, WV)
• Sam D'Agostino (DC)​ *

Crankie by Sarah Schwendeman

Stay connected

Have questions? Contact Annick directly using this contact form. 

Interested in participating as a performer next year? In general, no prior experience with crankies is required. We're especially looking for local Morgantown artists and West Virginian artists, including musicians, poets, storytellers, and visual artists, who make or want to make a crankie. Check out two large playlists of crankies on YouTube and Vimeo to get some inspiration. ​Fill out this form to get more information.
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Follow along on Facebook or Instagram or by subscribing to Annick's newsletter (at bottom of this page) for updates as the festival approaches.

About the organizer

​The Morgantown Crankie Festival is organized by Annick Odom, a Morgantown-based performer, composer, and community artist whose work brings together Appalachian folk traditions, storytelling, and contemporary performance. Annick has been involved in crankie-making and performance for many years and has previously participated in crankie and cantastoria events in the US, including Detroit and across West Virginia, and as far away as Festival Herbe Bleue in France.