About Us

About the Winnipeg Crankie Festival

The Winnipeg Crankie Festival was founded in 2018 by Home Routes / Chemin Chez Nous, a non-profit organization that coordinates a national network of house concert venues for musicians, as well as community workshops and jam groups. The festival features musicians, writers, poets, and storytellers, as well as visual artists in dynamic cross-media collaborations with artists from Manitoba and beyond — all brought together by the humble Crankie.

A Crankie is a moving panorama, an old storytelling art form that was popular in the 18th century. Scrolled art is mounted on hand-cranked spindles held together in a frame. As music plays or a story is told, an artist cranks the spindles so that the picture moves with the story, creating a uniquely magical experience for the audience.