Kate Holcomb Hale

photo courtesy of Melissa Blackall Photography

I am an artist and educator who lives and works in Arlington, MA with my partner and two teenage sons. I earned my MFA from Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine.

In my art practice I use painting, sculpture, video and craft to draw attention to architecture and objects performing acts of care. Collapsing kitchen tables, knotted handrails and sagging ladders are vehicles to consider vulnerability and the invisible labor of caregiving that occurs in both domestic and public realms. This body of work was conceived after a period of intense caregiving in which I lost my mother, father and brother in quick succession. These experiences required me to confront systems of care and question who carries the weight when support systems fall short or are nonexistent. I processed each loss through marks and gestures I hand-painted on cotton, which I later sewed into pliable, anthropomorphic sculptures.

My installations combine playful colors, soft structures, familiar forms and humor to create receptive spaces for empathy and healing. While my work is often personal, it reimagines how we can soften and modify our built world to accommodate our most vulnerable members of society and ease the load of care work.

I have exhibited my artwork throughout the United States and internationally, including exhibitions at The Danforth Art Museum (Framingham, MA), Zabludowicz Collection (London, UK), Praise Shadows Art Gallery (Boston, MA), LaiSun Keane Gallery (Boston, MA), Spilt Milk Gallery (Edinburgh Scotland), and the ICA (Portland ME). I recently participated in a group show at the Kniznick Gallery at Brandeis University titled “A Gathering: Gardens, Portals, Protest”. I have an upcoming solo exhibition at the Mezzanine Gallery at Boston City Hall opening September 1st. I also teach one-on-one art instruction to middle and high school students in my backyard studio in Arlington Heights. I’m enrolling new students for September so please reach out via email (which can be found on my website) if interested.  

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