Parallel Play is a group of works that explores ways to engage in play and gestural mark

making. Through large scale drawings, sculpture, video, installations, and live performance. This

exhibition invites others to participate and share in connection through mark making and

movement.

This work is the culmination of my gathered time and experiences in working alongside the

artists at Studio by the Tracks in 2025-26. The majority of my interest and excitement during my

time at SBTT was centered around ideas of connection and communication and the ways in

which these things are intertwined and how they can be applied to individuals and a larger

community as a whole. The idea of parallel play, which was newly defined to me within the last

few years, became the practice that I observed and participated in while at Studio by the Tracks.

The most inspiring and fulfilling moments, while at SBTT, occurred when drawing next to or in

tandem with the artists there. These moments of quiet or intermittent conversations between

brush strokes or pencil marks have allowed me to think about new ways in which people can

share space or connect. I wanted to demonstrate play by weaving drawing, mark making and

shared creative endeavors together to explore ideas about connection.

Doing activities together, specifically creative ones, make space for people to feel connected.

These actions start to create bonds (even if they are temporary) that feel deeply rooted in our

developmental structures and human history. Building things together, sharing space with other

bodies, and accessing artistic expression are amplified when done in community. On a small

scale it is a fulfilling way to interact with another person without expectations of conversation

based interaction or direct face to face engagement, which is vulnerable and can be quite

stressful for many. For those working on tactile projects, it allows for an ease in connecting or

simply co-existing in the same place.

The creative process or project gives an outlet for intense stimulation or stress, and lets it

channel through the artist's hand. The shared energy of creativity and building things together

energizes people. I have witnessed this in so many creative spaces, at SBTT and beyond.