CRANKSTERS A - K

THIS PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. The number of crankie artists is growing by leaps and bounds. I am busy adding in more cranksters - stay tuned!

You can watch videos by most of these artists in the WATCH A CRANKIE section of this website - enjoy and be inspired!

Anna Roberts Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle

Anna Roberts Gevlt (originally from VT, now New York City) and Elizabeth LaPrelle (originally Rural Retreat, VA, now NYC) are greatly responsible for the current revival of this artform due to their magical performances and extensive touring in the U.S. and Europe.  If they are traveling through your town, don't miss them!

annaandelizabeth.com

Ines Zeller Bass and Eric Bass are Co-Directors of the Sandglass Theater in Putney, VT.  Since 1982, the theater has been producing award-winning puppet shows. In the past few years they have hosted three, sold-out crankie festivals.  Visit their website sandglasstheater.org.

Sam watched Bread & Puppet Theater cranky shows as a teenager growing up in Vermont in the 1970s. This inspired him to begin building cranky theaters and drawing his own cranky shows, as well as teaching countless others to do the same. Sam has made collaborative crankies with small communities  across the country from Gustavus, AK to Plymouth, MA for the past 20 years. Most recently he teamed up with  LoCoArt in Bellefontaine, OH to produce a cranky about the history of The Holland Theater. sambartlett.com

John Bell and Trudi Cohen of Great Small Works performing "Ode to Common Things" at the opening of "Banners and Cranks: Paintings and Scrolls in Performance, Feb. 23rd, 2017. Banners painted by Peter Schumann of the Bread and Puppet Theater are hanging in the background.

John Bell was part of the Bread and Puppet Theater from 1976-1986 where he got his first exposure to crankies.  He is now Director of the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the Univ. of Conneticut. He is also a member of Great Small Works in NYC.

Trudi Cohen was a full time member of the Bread and Puppet Theater's resident company for ten years. She is also a member of Great Small Works.

Puerto Rico - Dave is co-organizer of  Banners and Cranks - A Traveling Cantastoria and Cranky Festival.   The first Banners and Cranks Festival was in 2010.

He has created many crankies focusing on the poertry of Charles Baudelaire (Baudelaire in a Box).

He is also a printmaker davebuchen.wordpress.com  You can see some Banners and Cranks poster's here.

Seattle, Washington - Dmitri Carter has been performing professionally as a puppeteer since childhood and currently serves as Development Director and Associate Artist for Seattle’s internationally acclaimed Northwest Puppet Center. In addition to a performance venue, the Northwest Puppet Center also houses a museum and library of puppetry. He has worked with moving drops (crankies) for more than 20 years and hosted Seattle's First Crankie Fest in 2013 and then 2014 ad 2016. nwpuppet.org

McKenzie in front of her crankie dollhouse at the 2015 Baltimore Crankie Fest. She is using a camera to provide live video projection of each room.

Baltimore, MD - textile artist, author, photographer and innovator! Watch a video of her DOLLHOUSE CRANKIE. Visit her website mckenzieelizabeth.co.

Clare Dolan

Glover, VT -  Clare Dolan is one of the founders Banners and Cranks - A Traveling Cantastoria and Cranky Festival. fewas with the Bread and Puppet Theater from 1990 to 2002. She is a specialist in cantastoria performance in addition to crankies and teaches/performs in festivals, schools and community-based programs. She is curator of the Museum of Everyday Life  museumofeverydaylife.org.

Katherine Fahey.

Baltimore, MD - Katherine Fahey is a tremendously talented papercut artist and puppeteer. Some of the first shadow puppetry I saw was her crankie Elizabeth Whitmore  followed by Pickett's Charge.  She has been a huge inspiration to many.    katherinefahey.com

This is Ellen's Pretty Fair Miss crankie. Thousands of tiny pieces glued to rice paper. It took 18 months to complete.

Pittsburgh, PA  - Appalachian ballad singer and banjo player. She has made some crankies by using paper mosaic and coordinated several Crankie Festivals in Pittsburgh.  Watch her Pretty Fair Miss crankie here.  Visit her website.   ellengozion.com

Joanna Hruby with one of her miniature crankies.

From Devon in the UK, Joanna is a musician, painter, puppeteer and folk art artist extrodinarre. joannahruby.wordpress.com