Artist Ken Huston Takes Conceptual Approach to New Exhibition

Ken Huston strikes a delicate balance between minimalism and conceptualism in his sculpture. The Falls Church resident chose 14 pieces spanning his 30-year fascination with real space versus the illusion of space for his new exhibit, “Sculpture.” His retrospective opened at the Waddell Art Gallery on the Loudoun Campus of Northern Virginia Community College on May 16 and will run through June 17.

Saturday marks the opening reception of Huston’s exhibit, from 3-5 pm. “This is an exciting period,” he said. “All the work is done and I’m ready to have a good time.”

Huston is looking forward to seeing his friends and former students at the reception. The seasoned artist worked as the head of the photography program at NVCC’s Woodbridge Campus for more than 20 years, where he was also named professor emeritus.

“I quit teaching primarily to focus on sculpture,” he said. “I miss my students but I’m glad it’s over. It’s time to do things for myself.”

His interest in sculpture can be traced back to his years as an undergraduate at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where he received his BFA. He then received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

“In graduate school, I worked primarily with a conceptual artist who was also interested in sculpture and it was just a natural fit for me,” he said. “I spent most of my time concentrating on sculpture more conceptually and even the way I taught photography was conceptually-based.”

Huston’s interest in photography came from his experience in the Navy. He made his first visit to an art museum while on leave in boot camp and was inspired to serve four years as an aerial photographer and photojournalist before attending MICA.

“I think the way I approach sculpture is the same way I approach photography,” he said. “I always take a photo as a concept and work in related images, either a series shown together or as a group of images. But I always felt more comfortable with a three-dimensional object than a photograph of a three-dimensional object. It’s interesting to be able to walk around something and see it from different perspectives and angles – to see how it changes as you move around it.”

Huston stepped away from photography about 10 years ago to focus on his growing interest in installation pieces. “It’s about dealing with the unknown,” he said. “You start out with ideas that are relatively vague and unstructured and then all of a sudden, as you think about it and as it evolves in your mind, you can visualize it physically. You can then resolve what materials are appropriate. It’s an evolutionary process for me and that’s part of the excitement of it, too.”

He uses materials ranging from stone, metal and wood to found objects such as chairs and broken wine glasses. His very first sculptural object, “Tiffany Glazed Brick,” is on display for the first time at his exhibit. He found a water-worn firebrick on the shore of Lake Michigan during his second year of graduate school that was embossed with the words “Tiffany Glazed Brick.” He was intrigued by the contradiction of the worn brick juxtaposed with the precious quality associated with the word "Tiffany."

“I kept the brick for five years before I did anything with it,” he said. “A friend of mine made a walnut box and I cushioned it with a velvet lining and put the brick in it. It’s probably the most important piece to me. I’m glad it’s in the show.”

“The Uncertainty of Truth” is a large installation piece with red, white and blue chairs leaning precariously on top of one another in a large pile leading up to a red ladder. Each of Huston’s pieces is unique in his approach to finding the material that most effectively communicates what he’s trying to say.

“That’s the beauty of it,” he said. “It’s dealing with an idea that allows you to manifest it in a particular way that maybe nobody else would be able to do.”

Meet the artist in person at his reception on Saturday or check out his exhibit before June 17. 

1000 Harry Flood Byrd Hwy. Sterling, VA; (703) 450-2627
Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 7:00 pm (Closed weekends, except for reception)