Bench Friends

Maggie golightly haslam

A children’s book written by Eleanor Golightly, adapted and illustrated by Maggie Golightly Haslam. (The book can be read or watched below).

Made possible by a grant from the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts, Art for Uncertain Times.

I view their relationship as a longing that we all share…for deep interpersonal connection…

Years ago, my sister drafted a simple children’s story called “Bench Friends,” about two, young girls who become acquainted by scratching notes to one another on an old park bench. For years, I have wanted to paint illustrations for this inspiring story, but struggled in particular to visualize a fitting setting and situation. In recent weeks, however, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread throughout the world, severely restricting social interactions, suddenly my sister’s story has elevated meaning to me—two girls seeking to connect with the outside world while quarantined, mostly indoors, during a confusing and isolating time.

I imagine the two children, separately taking walks in the park; one girl briefly breaks off from her family, and furtively etches her name into an old bench. I imagine the second girl coming upon this bench a short time later, discovering the name, and a light going off inside of her heart. A second name is scratched, and from there, a rudimentary friendship is formed over days and weeks of walks in the park. I view their relationship as a longing that we all share, during this time of compelled social distancing, for deep interpersonal connection.

I am a painter and an artist book maker, who formerly lived and worked in Inwood (in Upper Manhattan) and now Washington, D.C. with my husband, two-year-old son, and Aussie pup. Our apartment windows in Manhattan overlooked the beautiful Fort Tryon Park, which I imagine as the setting for this story. —Maggie Golightly Haslam, 2020

Maggie Golightly Haslam

is an artist currently living in the D.C. area. She is deeply committed to bridging her personal artistic practices with sustainability efforts on a larger scale. She received a BFA from Brigham Young University and her MFA from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. You can join in her adventures at maggiehaslam.com.