ARTFEEL

FREE QUARTERLY PUBLIC ART CELEBRATION!

Stay tuned for the next show date!

What is ARTFEEL?

ARTFEEL is an art appreciation show that spotlights a particular public artwork and asks area residents to share how it makes them feel – their artfeel. Some people sing, some dance, some play instruments, some story-tell, read a literary excerpt or perform spoken-word poetry, some show-and-tell their own artwork in progress or share a sentimental object from home, and, some say just one word – the emotion the artwork has evoked in them. The rules are…there are no rules…and that is the fun!

Everyone gets 2 minutes or less to express themselves using the artwork as a creative prompt. Created and hosted by local arts & culture writer Nickole Kerner Bobley, ARTFEEL also serves as a gathering place for area art clubs to display their latest works and announce upcoming events, classes and workshops.

Did you know The Woodlands has one of the largest collections of public art in the country?

No, me either!

There are over 100 public artworks peppered around The Woodlands’ villages (36 of which are The Woodlands Arts Council's Art Bench & Bike Rack Collection). This is an amazing fact, but we all lead busy lives. If we are honest, we can admit that as we drive by massive artworks on our way to work or the grocery store, we may look at them, but do we really see them? And this begs a very important question….if an artist makes a piece of art and no one really sees it, no one really engages with it…is it art?

ARTFEEL, a community arts appreciation initiative, aims to fix that by encouraging resident engagement with public art in The Woodlands.

Healing Arts History

Nickole Kerner Bobley

Several years ago, Kerner Bobley was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjogren’s Syndrome, two autoimmune diseases. Step-by-step, she used a walking cane to explore The Woodlands Waterway Art Bench Collection as a sort-of private “art crawl” for herself—looking to the next bench as next week’s goal post. She also kept a journal about how the different artworks made her feel. After many weeks of walking, she reached the final art bench in the then 14-member collection. At this point, she no longer needed a cane to walk. It was an emotional turning point in her medical treatment plan, and, in the new relationship she had forged with public art. It was here the idea for ARTFEEL began.
Come join us for our next ARTFEEL in the fall as we brave the stage and share how art makes us feel!