Crankie Curiosities w/ Marian McLaughlin

Curious about crankies?* During this workshop, mixed media artist Marian McLaughlin guides you through the process of crafting your own multi-dimensional storytelling device with acrylic paint on fibrous Tyvek paper scrolls.

Through crafting crankies, engage in visual, kinetic, and narrative concepts. And then take home a miniature crankie box of your own creation! Prompts are available, or come prepared with a simple story or song to base your crankie on. Materials are provided, no artistic experience is necessary.

*Crankies are the original moving pictures; a form of visual performance, involving a cranked scroll of artwork in a box.

Where: Creativity Center, 3137 Eastern Ave. Baltimore, MD 21224
When: TUESDAYS | MAY 14, 21, & 28 | 6:30-8:30PM
Age Range: 12+
Cost: $80 standard, $72 members
Materials: All materials provided!

Instructor Bio
Marian McLaughlin is a musician, visual artist, and educator. She is a Resident Teacher at Social Studio where she enjoys working through the stages of the creative process with her students. In 2023, she was a Maryland Traditions Artist in Residence where she led a collaborative crankie project between two different schools. McLaughlin is also a Veteran Teaching Artist for Arts for Learning. She has toured extensively in the United States and the U.K., released three studio albums, and performed an NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert. McLaughlin was a Strathmore Artist-in-Residence in 2015 and led an ensemble for the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage series in 2018.

Always inspired by the arts, McLaughlin has worked for over a decade curating and presenting community events. In 2014, she joined the Holy Underground Arts Collective and hosted multi-genre concerts, puppet shows, small theater events, poetry readings, workshops, and art exhibits. McLaughlin’s time at Holy Underground was a form of mutual aid as she supported the creative community. Seeing the human experience showcased through all kinds of art was profound, and she was grateful for having the chance to help facilitate that.