Meet Nickole Kerner Bobley | Artfeel Creator, Producer and Former Show Host

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nickole Kerner Bobley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nickole, what is the most important factor behind your success?

There was a need for a free and open-to-the-public community event that welcomed area artists and provided them a place to perform their art/to express themselves in a supportive setting. I think the Artfeel show filled this void. I also attribute Artfeel’s success to the incredible team of people who produce the show together: The Woodlands Arts Council’s Jenny Wright, Claire Karl, and Kayla Trascher as well as Gideon Bustmante, David Deveau, and the show performers.I feel strongly that Artfeel has grown and found so much success over the years because of our show’s artist in residence, Gideon Bustamante, who has been with Artfeel since its inception. He is a force of nature on the stage!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I come from a creative family. I grew up in The Woodlands and often rode my bike as a child to the public art installations. My parents exposed me to a lot of different types of art. For many years I worked in Los Angeles and New York City in the film and television business mainly in animation helping produce holiday specials. When I moved back home to The Woodlands with my own new family in tow, I wasn’t sure how my background and skills would translate to work in this area. I struggled trying to find my way. In the end, I found my path through storytelling and worked various freelance gigs in public relations, magazine writing and editing and marketing writing. I loved writing the weekly art column, Artfeel, for The Houston Chronicle on chron.com. It was a dream job lifting up area artists and covering events during what I called our community’s “art boom”. It was during this same time I created Artfeel, the live public art appreciation show, which The Woodlands Arts Council helped me launch and which we still produce together 5 years later.

The idea for Artfeel came from adversity. I was struggling with medical issues from 2 autoimmune diseases and used the public art as a sort of physical therapy for myself…moving from piece to piece improving my mobility as I walked to each artwork to study it and contemplate it.

My advice to others looking to launch a non-profit endeavor is to follow your heart but look for the holes in the market. Is there a need for what you are offering? Can you partner with someone already established who could benefit from your idea so it’s a win-win situation for both entities?

I am most proud of the performers who share their public art contemplations at Artfeel. They inspire me. At the last Artfeel in December of 2023, Gideon and his cadre of songwriters wrote and performed an original song inspired by Shoal, the public artwork we used as our creative prompt for expression. It was knock-out resplendent performance under the 750 colorful orbs of light that comprise this interactive public artwork which was designed by Squidsoup and bestowed to The Woodlands community by The Howard Hughes Co. (who also kindly sponsored the show).

I am very excited to see where Gideon takes Artfeel as the show’s new host (with co-host David Deveau). I will work behind the scenes applying for grants and proposing new ways and ideas for children and our area’s senior population to use public art as a creative and healing force in their lives.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Well, naturally, I’m going to recommend exploring The Woodlands robust collection of outdoor public art!

The “Flowers” mural by Alex Katz is 35,000 square feet big so it’s hard to miss it and it lives across from The Westin Hotel in Waterway Square which overlooks myriad mosaic works from artist Dixie Friend Gay. A hidden gem of hers is “Strata” inside the public stairwell between Grimaldi’s and Hearsay restaurants. I’d pair these art outings with the Mediterranean Mule and Pretzel Charcuterie and live piano music poolside at the Como Social Club atop The Westin Hotel.

In Hughes Landing, not that many people venture far enough on Hughes Landing Boulevard to view John Clement’s “Firefly” just up the road from the playful “Acrobatica” by Rafael Barrios, but it’s worth the short walk. I’d suggest an early weekend breakfast at Postino Cafe where they offer up bruschettas in extremely creative ways and then wind your way around the boardwalk to discover all the public art here in this area.

I would mark my calendar for the annual Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival which takes place ever April and features over 200 juried artists, but also for November 1st for the first annual Texas Fine Craft Show to take place at The Woodlands Resort.

For shopping I highly recommend Ardest Gallery’s incredible gift shop, Jen Loves Paper for party and stationery needs and Village Books for all your literary art reading needs (plus great programming from book clubs to author speaker series to children’s book readings).

For walking and enjoying nature, I would check out the beautiful 3-mile-ish walk around a stunning bird laden pond in The Spring Creek Nature Trail Park. Enter at the Dr. Ann Snyder Trailhead. I learned about this hidden birding hot spot from The Bayou Land Conservancy. Check out their website for more information.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Patron of the Arts Brenda Gottlieb who dreamed up The Woodlands Art Bench Project, former Woodlands Arts Council’s Amy LeCoq who greenlit Artfeel during her Presidency in 2017 and former area restaurateur Ruth Hallaway who gave us our first place, The Crush Wine Lounge, over 5 years ago, to be our creative home (and even hand-built us a stage for us on which to perform!) Also, Susan Vreeland Wendt, Wendy Paynter and Deb Speiss. And of course our generous roster of sponsors who have aided and funded our mission to share feelings together about public art. They are: Sarah Kelly Music School, Sweekman Artists, Market Street and Howard Hughes. Also SkyGod Productions and all the amazing photographers who work to document the shows like Kathleen O. Ryan, Frankie Collado, Joan Tilton, Heather Brown and John O’Brian.

Website: www.thewoodlandsartscouncil.org/artfeel

Instagram: The Woodlands Arts Council

Facebook: The Woodlands Arts Council

Image Credits
Kathleen O. Ryan Frankie Collado