Franny Haight, Francie, 2023, Cast Bronze and Iron Paired with Found Objects

When I was 14, I decided I didn’t like my name. Francie just never felt quite right to me. I entered high school with a new variation of my given name, and I asked my family and friends to start calling me franny instead. I’ve spent almost 10 years as franny, and I don’t regret my choice, but as I’ve grown up, I think back to my younger self. for a while i felt like i lost the spark i used to have, the silly creative little kid known as francie. Francie loved to play soccer, although she’d mainly stand in the field picking flowers. Francie’s sweet tooth could clear our candy shop. Francie wore overalls for an entire year in elementary school. Francie had endless energy. She was a ball of joy. She was fearless. This work is an ode to her. a reclamation of what it felt like I had lost in myself.