wheel good art

Clever Midtown art crawl/bike tour showcases colorful female rising stars

Magdalena Esparza is one of the highlighted artists.

Photo courtesy of Midtown Houston

Artsy and active Houstonians can enjoy some favorable weather and engaging art this weekend. Midtown Houston is showcasing some local female artists via a hybrid art crawl/bike ride at 10:30 am May Saturday, May 29.

The curated event, dubbed the Midtown Art Crawl + Bike Ride, is open to a maximum of 25 riders, who can hop on bikes from bicycle-sharing company Houston BCycle. The biking outfit hosted a first-of-its-kind competition for artists to paint BCycle stations in the area.

Houston artists Magdalena Esparza and Kate Vance were chosen out of 28 submissions by BCycle, Midtown Management District (MMD) Cultural Arts, and MMD Urban Planning committee, per a press release.

Esparza’s art can be viewed at the new station on LaBranch and Alabama; Vance’s inspired refurbishment is at the McGowen and Brazos location.

A little about the artists: Vance's art is described as “bright, vibrant, and colorful with a playful sense of movement.” Meanwhile, artist, Illustrator, and biochemist Esparza relays her art and biochemistry background in her work, “The Art of My Science.”

Following the bike tour, participants can enjoy an outdoor happy hour at beer garden, Axelrad. Riders will be encouraged to mask up when not cycling and hand sanitizer will be available.

“We’ve created this upcoming event fusing an art-style ‘pub’ crawl with a bike ride partly because Midtown Houston is the second most walkable district in Houston and is quickly becoming a hub for bike riders with the addition of dedicated bike lanes along Gray and Austin Streets,” said ByCycle interim executive director, Frank Karbarz, in a statement.

“We also wanted to elevate the two female artists who won our bicycle-themed competition, Magdalena Esparza and Kate Vance, as they have brought Houston BCycle stations to life with gorgeous custom designs to celebrate biking in Midtown.”

For more information on the art crawl/bike event, visit the official website.

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welcome back, frank!

Broadcaster Frank Billingsley finds second act at Houston radio station

Al Torres Photography

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When he announced his retirement from KPRC, Frank Billingsley told the late Ken Hoffman that he probably wasn’t done with media.

“I love all forms of communication so I'm sure I'll gravitate toward that either as a hobby or a second act. I'll weigh options and go from there,” he said in May.

Turn out that second act will be at one of Houston’s most prestigious radio stations. Billingsley has joined Houston Public Media as an executive producer and meteorologist.

"Frank Billingsley’s reputation as a Houston legend precedes him,” station manager Josh Adams said in a statement. “His experience and connection to our community align perfectly with Houston Public Media’s mission to inform and inspire. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team and look forward to the impact his presence will have."

Beginning in early 2025, Billingsley will serve as one of the hosts for a new talk show called Hello, Houston!. Led by Billingsley, veteran HPM host Ernie Manouse, and producer Celeste Schurman. Hello, Houston! will tell stories about a wide range of Houston happenings.

“Of course, I'll still get to talk about the weather, but Celeste, Ernie, and I will have fun and fascinating discussions about politics, arts, concerts, restaurants, clubs, people: everything that makes this city so great,” Billingsley said. “We have a great team behind us and I'm really looking forward to the challenge!”

Frank Billingsley worked at KPRC for 30 years. Prior to that, he worked at ABC13 for six years. He has earned multiple honors from the Associated Press, Houston Press Club, Houston Press Newspaper, and Dallas Press Club.

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