Carlyn Ray Resume
SUMMARY
Carlyn Ray is a creative businesswoman and community leader who strives to infuse her love, passion, and creative fire with glass into the Dallas community.
Carlyn Ray Designs achieves creative environments through making custom glass installations for site-specific spaces, including illuminated chandeliers and wall pieces. Carlyn shares her love of the process through her community studio Dallas Glass Art, where people take classes and enjoy the experience of making their own pieces. Her passion project, Art Reaching Out (ARO), is the non-profit she founded to excite creative learning by incorporating hands-on STEAM lessons through making a glass piece, usually a site-specific installation. ARO is aimed towards working with underprivileged students, especially young women.
Carlyn is active in her community and passionate about her city. When not working and designing, you might find Carlyn dancing, out in nature with her dog Chai, or in a meditation circle. She was a scholarship student-athlete at The College of William and Mary and carries her teamwork-based background and work ethic into the studio.
At a young age, Carlyn discovered her unrelenting passion for glass, the urge for involvement in community art, and the desire to create large-scale pieces. She worked under various master glass artists around the world for her first ten years of training. She has come full circle to combine a multi-talented team with a focus on large-scale custom projects for and with the community.
Her business model combines the years of knowledge she gained from working with Chihuly Inc. and the education she absorbed while with The Corning Museum of Glass. Her involvement with Dale Chihuly included project management, scheduling, and glassblowing. With the Corning Museum of Glass, she educated the public about glass through the Hot Glass Show while working with artists around the world. These priceless experiences, her passion, and grit have enabled Carlyn to build a studio which creates large-scale art, shares experiences with the community, and offers learning opportunities to our youth.
“The material of glass is phenomenal – both like a liquid and a crystal and also one of the few materials which can transfer and hold the light. Blowing glass starts with molten sand, at the temperature of lava, and then is shaped with one’s breath. The ancient process of creating with glass is beautiful and a joy to me, a working meditation. To understand glass, one must completely absorb the material over time both mentally and physically. We work together as a team to create each piece. Every day is a joy to be able to follow our passion. Hand blown glass has an energy and shares light. A beautiful piece of glass can transform a room into a magical place. It is a gift to be able to share this process with others.” – Carlyn Ray
AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
- 2017 Appointed City Official on the City of Dallas Urban Design and Advisory Committee
- 2016 AIA Dallas Community Honors Award Recipient
- 2017 Founder & President of Art Reaching Out 501(c)(3)
FORMAL EDUCATION
- 2004 The College of William and Mary: Full Volleyball NCAA Division I Scholarship
- Major: 3D Art – Stone, Bronze, Metals, Clay and Plaster
- Minor: Psychology – Scholarship
- President’s Collection: Independent Study, Bronze Casting Series
- 2000 Episcopal School of Dallas High School
GLASS EDUCATION
- The College of William and Mary – Art Major, Psychology Minor (2000 – 2004)
- University College of Learning Glass – Wanganui, New Zealand (2003)
- Penland School of Crafts – Penland, NC (2005)
- Haystack Mountain School of Crafts – Deer Isle, MI (2008)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Founded Carlyn Ray Designs & Dallas Glass Art (2013 – Present)
- Specializing in custom, site-specific glass art installations
- WOBE & HUD certified Woman-owned small business
- Internship Program with Booker T. Washington High School, University of Texas at Arlington, and a national summer internship
- Open to public for glassblowing classes and demonstrations
Established Art Reaching Out (ARO) (2013 – Present)
- Provides educational STEAM programs for females and at-risk student groups, strategically targeting diverse community outreach
- Schools: Lorenzo De Zavala Elementary School, Irma Lerma Rangel School, Francisco Petro Medrano Middle School, The Hockaday School, Episcopal School of Dallas
- Non-profits: Girls Inc, Big Thought, Jonathan’s Place, National Charity League, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., The Links, Inc.
- Field Trips: Greenhill School
Featured as guest artist / lecturer at multiple prestigious art locales, including the Corning Museum of Glass, the University of Texas at Arlington, the Tyler Museum, and Pilchuck Glass School.
Lead Glassblower and Educator for Celebrity Cruise Lines (2009 – 2010)
- Directed Hot Glass Show while at sea, on three different ships.
- Focused on guest educational entertainment through history, process, and future of glass.
Artist-in-Residence at West Texas A&M University, Canyon Texas (2012)
- Mentored and facilitated hands-on training and education to university artists.
Project Manager and Glassblower for Chihuly Inc. (2007 – 2009)
- One of only eight of Dale Chihuly’s personal team of assistant glassblowers.
- Tasked with organizing schedules and task assignments for the studio.
- Managed daily activities and overall studio output, reporting directly to Chihuly headquarters.
Honored as a Visiting Artist at the Osaka School of Fine Arts in Japan (2008)
Assistant to world-renowned glass artist Lino Tagliapietra and his team (2008)
RECENT APPEARANCES/ LECTURES/ FEATURES
- Presenter at ISAS, “Art with Meaning” at The Hockaday School, Dallas, TX, 2018
- “Bouquet” Glass Chandelier made with Girls Inc., North Park Center, Dallas, TX, 2016.
- Featured on “A Personal Journey With Quin Mathews” on Frame of Mind, KERA, 2015.
- Participated in Artist vs Architect, One Arts Plaza, Dallas, TX, 2014.
- Artist-In-Residence at The Hockaday School, Dallas, TX, 2013 – 2014.
- Presenter for the SMU Council of Deans’ Retreat at the Dallas Arboretum, 2013.
- Exhibitor at the 2012 Master Glass Show during Chihuly at the Arboretum in Dallas, 2012.
- Participant in the Austin Bergstrom International Airport Metal Arts Show, 2012.
- Panelist at City of Austin Panel Discussion, “Running A Creative Business”, 2012.
- Featured in “2012 Faces of Austin” by the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division for the South-by-Southwest festival, 2012.
FEATURED IN PUBLICATIONS
- Dallas Style and Design (Fall 2018) “Core Creativity.” p184-186
- The Texas Catholic (May 11th, 2018) “Artist’s ‘heavenly’ creation helps honor educators.” p5
- Design Texas ASID (Issue 1 | 2018) “Caring to Share the Magic of Glass.” p20-21
- Living Well (July/ August 2016) “Dallas Glassblowing Artist.” p 24-27.
- Dallas Voice (Volume 32/ Issue 50/ April, 2016) “If you can’t stand the heat…” p18-19.
- FD HOUSE (Dec/ Jan/ Feb 2015) “6 for 2016: Who to Hire Now.” p 83.
- Patron Art/Culture/ Design (Oct/Nov 2014) “Design of the Times.” p 48-49.
- D Home (March/ April 2014) “Master Class.” p 60.
- Prime Living (March/ April 2014) “For The Glass Art Lover: Unbreakable.” P 9-10 Full photo 9.
- Patron Art/ Culture/ Design (Fall 2012) “Acquiring Minds.” p 76-81. Full photo 78.
- Press-Register: Mobile, Alabama’s Newspaper (March 5, 2012) “Love the Glass: Texas artist Carlyn Ray brings her creations to Orange Beach Festival of Art” Cover of Living section, 1D.
- Austin Home, (2011, Winter). “Unbreakable: Up-and-coming glassblower Carlyn Ray blazes through burns and scars to coax fragile works of art.” p 31 & 56.