A Second Arts-Themed Wrap for Cincinnati Bell Connector Streetcar Debuts

By Press release submission

Feb 5, 2022

City of Cincinnati recently issued the following announcement.

The City of Cincinnati, ArtsWave and Cincinnati Bell today announced local artist Brent Billingsley as the winner of a contest to design an arts-themed wrap for the exterior of a Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar.

Billingsley’s design, dubbed “WE ARE ALL HUE-MAN,” celebrates diversity within the arts and in society overall as depicted by the faces of children incorporated onto the exterior of the streetcar. Billingsley works as a behavioral health specialist for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

“I believe that artists can change the world as we navigate through ‘isms,’ tear down walls that divide and guide little hands to create, little eyes to see, and little minds to know that love is greater than just about anything!” said Billingsley, a Greater Cincinnati native who graduated with a degree in fine art from Miami University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Cincinnati.

The City of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Bell and ArtsWave in December invited artists to submit original designs for an exterior wrap. The public voted on their favorite designs among 20 submissions and a committee selected the winner from the top three vote-getters. Billingsley is receiving a $2,500 grant from ArtsWave and examples of his artwork also will don the interior of the streetcar through March 4.

The debut of Billingsley’s design is the second Cincinnati Bell Connector to get a new look. The first was a “Music Hall” theme wrap unveiled last September to mark the streetcar’s fifth anniversary. Cincinnati Bell bought naming rights to the city’s streetcar system at the time it began passenger service.

In addition to the announcement about the contest winner, ArtsWave officials kicked off the organization’s annual fundraising campaign as part of the event at Music Hall. Speakers included ArtsWave President and CEO Alecia Kintner and Janice Liebenberg, VP, Equitable Arts Advancement for ArtsWave; as well as Leigh Fox, President and CEO of Cincinnati Bell; Sonya Walton, 2022 ArtsWave Campaign Vice Chair and VP, Economic Inclusion for Messer Construction; Tim Steigerwald, 2022 ArtsWave Campaign Chair and President and CEO for Messer and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval.

Pureval greeted the crowd with a shoutout to the Cincinnati Bengals and the team’s upcoming Super Bowl appearance. “Who Dey, Who Dey, let’s go!” he said, before acknowledging the kickoff of the ArtsWave campaign and those responsible for adapting Billingsley’s design onto the streetcar.

“A strong, thriving, diverse arts community is essential to the future of Cincinnati and we’re happy to partner to create this artist streetcar,” Pureval said. “Let’s take Brent’s inspiration – opening all doors and embracing each other’s humanity.”

The exteriors of the remaining three streetcars in Cincinnati’s five-car system also are being rewrapped. The designs for those streetcars will be unveiled throughout this month.

The Cincinnati Bell Connector is free to ride every day. Operating hours are: