October 7, 2026
Written and recorded by Gallery & Curatorial Fellow Hadley Stockwell
The clay impressions covering this wall were made from architectural elements of spaces that Kate Holcomb Hale has inhabited over the years. This process started in the artist’s home while dealing with the sale of her childhood home during the pandemic, which prohibited her from collecting many remaining belongings. Each fragment documents Holcomb Hale’s surroundings, creating tangible and portable representations of past memories and moments. They are created from paper clay, a nod to Holcomb Hale’s past works on paper, and each title alludes to an act of care, mimicking the supportive nature of the structures they represent. The jagged, raw edges of each imprint are intentional—by abstracting each feature they become more universal. Holcomb Hale hopes each viewer can find some familiar elements in her impressions.
Many of these impressions stem from more domestic items, such as keyholes, kitchen tables, or floorboards, but some come from a more formal environment. Holcomb Hale created a few of her Placeholders from elements of the Simmons campus—balusters and posts from the main staircase, as well as capitals from the Trustman Gallery pillars are all on display. While the act of caregiving is typically reserved for the home, Holcomb Hale notes that it is important to bring the same support to academic and professional institutions, as well as the awareness of the labor it takes to uphold them. The objects represented in clay, as well as the soft structures throughout the gallery, are used to aid in accessibility and structure, assistance that academic systems also have a responsibility to provide for their community.