Kate Huston reception and workshop Saturday at The Covellite

Art lovers in Butte and Southwest Montana have something unique to explore this month as Covellite Theatre rolls out its April Featured Artist: Kate Huston.

Huston’s exhibit, on view throughout April, highlights her intricate and imaginative “Tiny Box Worlds”—small-scale shadow box assemblages that blend collage, found objects, and carefully curated materials into dreamlike scenes. The installation, completed March 31, transforms the Covellite into a space where mythology, nature, and surreal storytelling intersect in quietly powerful ways.

The public will get a deeper look at Huston’s process during a special artist reception and workshop scheduled for Saturday, April 25. The event begins with a hands-on collage workshop from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Participants in the workshop will create their own shadow box collage using Victorian-era imagery and materials provided by the artist.

Organizers note that space is limited to 25 participants, and advance registration through the Covellite is required—an indication that interest is expected to be strong.

Huston’s artistic roots trace back to early visits to museums and libraries in Boston, where dioramas and assemblage art first captured her attention. Drawing influence from figures like Marcel Duchamp and Joseph Cornell, her work explores themes of spirituality, memory, and the natural world, all constructed from fragments of the past.

Now based in here in Montana, Huston continues to refine her signature style, creating pieces that feel both intimate and expansive. Each box offers a small window into an imagined world—inviting viewers to slow down, look closely, and step briefly into something otherworldly.