Program / Event Details

In a Collaborative Crankie residency, we will be creating visual metaphors that illustrate words from a script, like creating a giant graphic novel to perform. The “script” can be a part of the curriculum, like a book, article, poem, or song. Alternatively, to infuse more writing into the residency, the class can collaboratively create a short “script” that functions like a poem in the first few days of the residency. Once our script is finalized, students learn about the visual tips of making a successful crankie, create draft sketches that follow the story arc of the script, and together we illustrate one long crankie scroll. On the culminating day, students practice elements of performance by taking turns speaking in public, reading aloud, selecting music, and pacing themselves to match the students turning the crankie. This residency is excellent for students focusing on reading comprehension, exploring perspectives of history through visual storytelling, and personal expression through poetry or drawing. Because the residency is so collaborative, it strengthens SEL skills around social awareness and relationship skills. There’s also an opportunity to practice self-management since each student is responsible for a part of the whole piece.
Crankies are illustrated scrolls or panoramas that tell a visual tale of a song, poem, book, or original story. They have a long history spanning multiple cultures around the globe in the form of painted scrolls in Eastern and Southern Asia dating back hundreds of years, and in Europe and the United States, gaining popularity in the 1700-1800s. This contemporary form borrows from current folk musical and street puppetry traditions, and can incorporate many forms of art! You can learn more about them at http://www.thecrankiefactory.com/