Art & Culture
Artfeel Returns June 15 at the Alex Katz Flowers Mural in Waterway Square
THE WOODLANDS, TX – Mark your calendars for Artfeel on Wednesday, June 15 from 7-8:30 PM, celebrating The Woodlands’ newest public art mural, Flowers, by renowned artist Alex Katz. Wear your favorite flowery attire, grab a picnic basket, portable chair and/or blanket and head down to the Sunset Garden Party at the new Flowers mural in Waterway Square®, across from The Westin at The Woodlands Hotel.
Alex Katz’s mural, titled Flowers, 2022, is 35,000 square feet and hand-painted on a 358 x 105-foot wall on the south side of The Woodlands Waterway Square garage. Flowers is one of the largest art murals in Texas. The mural was commissioned by The Howard Hughes Corporation® to bring people together through shared appreciation of the beautiful convergence of nature and artistic design.
The mural transforms the northeast corner of Waterway Square, engaging the last remaining inactive streetscape within the one-acre downtown public plaza that serves as a vibrant, walkable urban core in The Woodlands Town Center.
“I think art belongs to all people,” says contemporary artist Alex Katz. “Not everyone who sees art in a public space is a gallery or museum goer. This mural will give everyone something to think about — whether viewed from a distance, from a car or up close. When one is standing next to the painting, it becomes environmental; you feel like you are in the painted floral landscape.”
Katz’s works have been the subject of over 200 solo exhibitions including shows at top art hotspots like The National Portrait Gallery, The Whitney Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This year, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum honors his work with a retrospective. Katz is represented by Gladstone Gallery, America, and Thaddeus Ropac, Europe.
Artfeel is the popular public art appreciation show produced by The Woodlands Arts Council in partnership with The Sarah Kelly Music School, Sweekman Artists and Market Street where a stage and microphone time are offered up to anyone to share their feelings about public art. Some residents sing, some dance, some share an original poem or read an excerpt from their favorite novel— and some say only one word — the emotion the art has evoked in them. The rules are…there are no rules…and that is the fun.
The Artfeel Sunset Garden Party in June is co-hosted by The Woodlands Arts Council and The Howard Hughes Corporation.
“In its 5th year, Artfeel is a major initiative from our Because Art Matters programming slate,” explains Jenny Wright, CFEE, Executive Director of The Woodlands Arts Council and show producer, who recently wrapped up another successful Fidelity Investments Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival. “This Artfeel is extra special as it will take place in front of the public artwork, Flowers, itself. For other celebrations, Market Street is kind to provide us a home on their Central Park stage where we honor the work in spotlight with a photographic blow-up for the stage.”
The Artfeel celebration of Flowers will feature opera performances by Ian Jose Ramirez who will also invite audience members to sing along and learn fun opera jargon. Ramirez’s opera career highlights include performing in Cinderella at the College-Conservatory of Music, Salem in The Rake’s Progress, and many performances (including Carmen) for Opera Stuttgart in Germany.
Artistic dance directors Andy and Dionne Noble will be offering up 2 Noble Motion Dance (NMD) performances in honor of Flowers. NMD is one of Texas’ premier dance companies and has been named Houston’s Best Dance Company by the Houston Press. Other achievements are its inclusion on the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Roster and graduation from the Houston Arts Alliance three-year Resident Incubator Program.
To the right of the stage during the Artfeel show, Artist Melissa Polomsky will be painting floral subjects on canvas. Polomsky is the entrepreneur behind The Artwerks, a place where she sells her original artworks online to collectors from all over the world.
Artfeel creator and host Nickole Kerner Bobley, a former art columnist and public art enthusiast, will be joined by co-hosts Gideon Bustamante aka “The Painter” and David Deveau, who will also perform in the show.
“The new outdoor gathering space with thoughtfully designed landscaping complements the mural, Flowers,” explains Lorrie Parise, Director of Public Relations and Community Relations for The Howard Hughes Corporation. “We are looking forward to Artfeel where the community can join, perform and talk about the newest public art at Artfeel. I hope to see you there!”
Visit Flowers and see how it makes you feel and explore where it takes your mind. Then, sign-up to share your Artfeel on stage at www.thewoodlandsartscouncil.org/events/2022/artfeel-celebrating-flowers-by-alex-katz or simply come as a guest and enjoy the show. Courtesy of The Howard Hughes Corporation, parking is free for the evening at the Waterway Square Garage, 1505 Lake Robbins Drive, by mentioning Artfeel.
Like the public art it celebrates, Artfeel is a free community event. To learn more about Artfeel and The Woodlands Arts Council please visit www.thewoodlandsartscouncil.org/events/artfeel.
The Woodlands boasts one of the largest outdoor art collections in the nation for a community its size, with over 80 pieces of diverse works of art for residents and visitors to enjoy. To learn more about the vast collection of public art in The Woodlands please visit www.thewoodlands.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/woodlands_sculpturebrochure-2020-2.pdf.
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