Discover the art of hand-turned tales shared by magical thinkers!

Crankies are a traditional Appalachian art form starting with long, illustrated scrolls that tell true-life stories. Each scroll is wound around two spools and loaded into a box with a viewing window. The scroll is then hand-cranked while the story is narrated.  

Come listen to the stories of eleven artists living with serious mental illnesses that will be told for the first time and watch these amazing panoramas unfold before your eyes at Barking Legs Theater on May 31st at 7:30 pm and June 1st at 2:30 pm. In addition, the Crankies will be exhibited at the Hart Gallery during June. 

Writer: Peggy Douglas:  

Visual Art Director: Frances McDonald:  

Technical Director: Taylor Boyd 

Crankie Box Fabricator: Randy Fairchild 

Narrators: Anne Swedberg, Ray Bassett 

Visual Artists: Randall Jones, deMichael McGee, Mark Mayfield, Dominique Pruitt, Bill Sera, David Hudson, Kathleen Williams, Claire Donahue, David Dunn, Gini White, Anonymous 

General admission: $15.  Students, seniors, and AIM Center/Hart Gallery members $10. 

Showtimes: May 31 at 7:30 pm and June 1 at 2:30 pm.