DSD 90


engineer, fabrication team, lighting specialist and pro- fessional glass team, creative possibilities are endless,” Ray stresses. To ensure that these creative desires are met, Ray includes the client in every step of the piece’s creation. “I try to be a vessel and feed details and specific colors the client likes into the design, so they feel connected to the piece, like they were the creator,” Ray says. But Ray’s team is not limited to just making art, they also enjoy teaching it at her studio, Dallas Glass Art. Through group classes, private parties and public showings, Ray and her team make an effort to share their passions and work with the surrounding community. “It really brings people together in a unique way,” Ray remarks. Particularly, the studio takes great pride in their program


Art Reaching Out (ARO). ARO is dedicated to working with female and at-risk students to bring them together and create an art piece to be publicly dis- played. “For at-risk children, it is important to me that they learn about this space inside them- selves that nobody can take away,” Ray explains. “Art was a huge outlet and positive place for me when I struggled through school being dyslexic.” Combining STEM education


with creative learning, ARO paired with Girls Inc of Metropolitan Dallas and worked together for nine months to complete a beautiful glass chandelier that now hangs in the North Park Center in Dallas. At The Hockaday School, stu- dents and faculty collaborated with ARO and JCDesigns to complete a 30-foot-tall sculp- ture for the school’s Centennial


Center. “The process teaches students life lessons, combines self discovery with teamwork, has them make a large project they never thought possible, and combines STEM learning and art,” Ray says. Ray’s own journey in glass- blowing also began when she was young, when she was nine years old. “I was attracted to the fire, intensity and teamwork,” she recalls. After completing her studies at the College of William and Mary and a semester studying abroad in New Zealand, Ray spent two years at the Penland School of Crafts to further her knowledge and understanding of the art form. From there, she went on to work for several different glassblowing companies and masters, including Dale Chihuly, before establishing Carlyn Ray Designs in Dallas in November


2013.


The complexity of Carlyn Ray Designs and all of its features is undoubtedly why it has proven to be so successful. “I love all aspects of my businesses and hope to continue to pursue them all,” Ray says with pride. “They all carry the thread of sharing creativity.”


Just as Ray delicately fabri- cates each of her glass pieces, she has weaved herself into the lives of the Dallas community and, as a result, has turned her art into something much greater. 2


CARLYN RAY DESIGNS 1820 Irving Blvd. Dallas, TX 75207 214-741-1442


carlynraydesigns.com


Emma Burleigh is a part-time freelance writer living in Frisco, Texas.


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