Daryan Arcos and Frances Baca created Parallel Play together in 2022. A collaboration born out of their friendship and mutual love of art and community.
Each artist is a long-term San Antonio resident. They met in high school in the Visual Arts Program at Say Si, and later both attended the Southwest School of Art. Although, they didn’t become close friends until they had a printmaking class together in 2018. Eventually, they both became art school drop-outs, but the bond they shared grew strong and fast once they realized how much they shared in morals, political views, and interests. An endless conversation between the artists began.
Together they collaborate on artwork, organize exhibitions and events such as markets and workshops. They aim to make everything they do free and open to the public. Their biggest mission, as Parallel Play, is to help create an inclusive and creativity driven community where they can share their growing resources, information, and ideas. A community where friendship is a priority, and a place where all can feel safe, seen, and supported. Where no human being’s life and dreams are worth less than anyone else’s. When they curate an exhibition, it’s important to them to showcase a range of artists at all levels, from those who have never shown their work publicly, to professors and artists whose careers have already been legitimized by collectors, museums, or publications. Placing everyone on equal footing. They want to encourage artists at all levels to engage with their own fantasies, experiences, and opinions.
Daryan and Frances believe the arts and collective creativity is a powerful tool in paving the path to being liberated from oppression, marginalization, and injustice. Creating opportunities to gather together with other artists reminds the two friends, and hopefully others that the unified voices of the people will never be silenced.
We had so much fun at the opening last Friday 🥹❤️🔥 the exhibition will be up @brightcoffeesa until the end of February, so please grab a friend for a coffee date and go check it out 😳
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered is a continuation of Parallel Play’s First Group curation, Stupid Cupid, in 2023. This open call asked artists from all backgrounds and levels to share their deepest desires, fears, or formative experiences around the topic of love. Each artist adds their perspective and helps illustrate the broad spectrum of love and loving.
Creativity is an inherent part of human nature and when nurtured can grow and develop into wholehearted concepts that can move the masses.
This show is an example of how a concept such as love can be expressed through art in so many vulnerable and beautiful ways while also being accessible to our community.
It’s almost time 😮⏳
Parallel Play’s opening for our Valentine’s group exhibition 🖼️
Bewitched, Bothered, & Bewildered is tomorrow night, Friday the 13th from 6 pm - 9 pm!!! At Bright Coffee ☕️
🎶 DJ Despeinada will be curating the vibes for the night, followed by a solo Elnuh set 🎤🎵. Valentine’s flash designed by Parallel Play 🦢❤️🔥, Tattooed by Carlos Lemon all night.
🍰 Daryan is making everyone a cake with lots of love. Come through. Seriously, tell your friends. We wanna see all y’all.
XOXO, PP.
PS, the show will be up until the end of February 😚💖
🦢🦢Parallel Play invites you to our opening night of, “Bothered,Bewitched, & Bewildered”
A group of Lovers and Yearners art exhibition at Bright Coffee
Friday 2/13 6pm-9pm
Parallel Play is collaborating on, one night only, valentines tattoo flash! 🙈🎭
@99carloslemon99 will be tattooing first come first serve!
Dj Despeinada will be spinning with love 6-8:30pm 🎧
Then a special solo set by @elnuh to finish off the night🌀
Dair and Fran here :) we wanted to remind y’all that submissions for Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered are due January 26th and answer some questions.
Submissions can be sent to our DMS, we’ll accept your message request quickly as possible so you can send images. Please include title, medium, and dimensions for your piece or idea.
Anyone who has already submitted, we will be responding to submissions soon.
Submissions do not have to be completed works, drop off for selected work will start February 9th, so there is time to finish any incomplete work after the submission deadline :)
Thank y’all ❤️🔥 as always, feel free to shoot us any questions
Parallel Play is elated to share our call for submissions for our upcoming Valentine’s Day exhibition, Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered! Which will take place at Bright Coffee, on Friday, February 13th.
Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered is for the lovers and the yearners. In a society that can feel as though it it leans more and more into individuality and playing it cool, let us be a space for the real lovers to express your deepest desires, fears, or formative experiences around love. Not limited to romantic love, any experiences that have shaped your perception and behaviors surrounding intimacy. We’ve all been there. Let’s talk about it through drawings, paintings, photos, sculptures, performances, etc. Let’s GO.
Please do not be shy to reach out and talk to us. Submissions for work DO NOT have to be completed pieces, you can submit ideas. As long as your artwork is finished and ready to hang by drop off’s, we will be happy to support your process!
Final day to submit is JANUARY 26th, 2026. Send a DM to @parallelplay_ with an image of your piece, title, medium, and dimensions.
Always remember that art is for EVERYONE, come talk to us. Slide in our DMs. Let’s make some stuff.
PP here reminding you to pull up to the Closing reception of the Industry Art Show this Saturday 6pm-9pm at Shotgun House Coffee !
Everyone is welcome to bring a sketchbook to add to the viewing table 🗒️
We had so much fun at Shotgun last night celebrating artists who work double time in the service industry, Parallel Play is so grateful to everyone who came out and to all the artists who shared their work.
The show will be up until Saturday, September 6th, and we will be hosting a closing that day from 6 pm - 9 pm for anyone who couldn’t make the opening.
Any artists who wanna bring their sketchbooks to the closing to share and allow the community to look through, we know that’s an incredibly vulnerable ask, but it was such an amazing experience to see the sketchbooks shared during the opening, we would love to run back one last time!
OPEN CALL EXTENDED TO AUGUST 29th,
DM US OR USE THE LINK TO THE GOOGLE FORM IN BIO TO SUBMIT
Artists are welcome to submit personal work, or work relating to the theme of our worth being greater than our labor for a profit.
We also encourage submission of sketchbooks, as many of us do not have time to create large pieces, and it often becomes more convenient to foster creativity in our sketchbooks.
We’re excited to showcase local artists who have experience in the service industry as a way to highlight the double lives of many artists trying to balance making a living and the creation of artwork.
The opening will take place at Shotgun Coffee on September 1st, Labor Day! To celebrate the labor of love that goes into making art.
We will also host a closing on September 6th, 6 PM - 9 PM
CAN SUBMIT THROUGH DM (any concept or related to labor not being someone’s worth)
calling creatives who have day jobs as baristas, bartenders , servers , line cooks, call center baddies, educators, adult industry workers
In a society where our worth is defined by our labor and not our soul , our creativity shrinks unless we put in overtime to be consistent in expressing our voice.
Submit a piece of art (no larger than 18x24”) , sketchbooks, zines, small sculptures using the google form found in our bio. Please dm us if you have any questions!
Limited space available, also remember that all creativity is political!
Hospitality Industry Art Show
OPEN CALL until 8/25
ARTSHOW OPENING : LABOR DAY
6-9pm at Shotgun House Coffee Roasters
Closing: 6-9pm 9/6
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