Dallas County Living Well Magazine July/August 2016 | Page 29

ects with different youth-focused groups,
another step toward her mission of impacting her community through glass.
“We introduce them to glassblowing,
and they create something like a chandelier,” Ray says “Really, through learning this craft, it’s putting passionate individuals in front of these kids.” It starts
with inspiring students through an exemplary artist, local or foreign, then moves
into a brainstorm and finally creation.
“Through the process of making individual pieces, we bring in STEAM exercises and experiments to integrate into the
creative realm,” Ray says. “Together the

White on White weave at Oak restaurant in Dallas.
group will create a large-scale installation.
This piece will then be placed in public areas and go through an art-leasing program, then possibly an “The weaving itself is close to my heart,” she expresses. “To
auction, to continue to facilitate the educational outreach.” make room for me coming into the world, my mom gave her
Waranch takes part in this work.
loom to her best friend, Hinka. So while growing up, we raised
silk worms and then I would go over and watch these cocoons
“Lately, I have been teaching a good amount with Girls, Inc. become threads and be woven on this huge loom. The proFor this project, we are bringing girls in ages 7-12 and each cess was mesmerizing to me. While traveling, I saw that many
one of them is making a flower,” Waranch explains. “Then cultures have their stories and voice in different types of weavwe are turning all of their flowers into a chandelier. When I’m ings. So I create my own story, woven out of glass.”
teaching the girls, I see how happy and excited they are, and Ray says she feels honored to have found her signature line
that makes me so happy.”
of work at such a young age, noting it takes many artists
The Girls, Inc. chandelier was hosted at North Park Center decades.
in June 2016 and will later go into an art leasing program
or be auctioned to raise money for next year’s project. The “My weavings embody all that I love about glass,” she admits.
organization also recently completed a similar project with “Each piece of glass is colored carefully for the perfect saturaHockaday. The Hockaday sculpture will soon be installed in tion and then stretched and pulled into strands of glass. Each
the school’s new Centennial Center.
glass strand captures the light and transfers the color through
Working with youth also gives Ray the chance to share that the shadows. Aesthetically, I like the mixed materials with the
she did have to overcome obstacles to get where she is. metal frame, metal wire, and the woven glass.”
“We’ve gotten here through grit,” she says. “Glass blowing is
really difficult but we loved it, and we stayed with it. We wake Goals and future plans
up every morning excited.” As she tells the girls, glassblowing As for what’s next, Ray says she looks forward to one of her
is very male dominant.
next projects, the Bishop Arts art garden (anticipated to open
in November 2017).
“While I can’t say I started in a low income neighborhood
and got here, I did start out as a minority,” Ray says. “I really “Like minded people came together and are creating a crehad to work to prove myself, and now I have and I’m able to ative mecca,” she says. “Chefs, artists, gardeners, and other
share it with you.”
creators will be actively making their products around this garden,” she says.”I imagine this garden to be full of imaginaHer specialties
tion, color, and energy. It is my hope that as people cross into
As she and her team create weavings with the girls, Ray ex- the walls of the garden they are present among the smells,
presses she is sharing a very personal part of herself.
colors, sites, and people around them.”
Despite her enthusiasm for upcoming projects, the prospect
of the future doesn’t pull Ray far from each moment of today.
To see Carlyn Ray’s work, visit her website “Everyone asks me what I’m most excited about,” she says.
at www.carlynraydesigns.com or better “And I’m always excited about the piece I’m working on. I’m
yet, sign up for a class or workshop with always trying something new and always pushing myself, and
her at www.dallasglassart.com.
I love it.

DALLAS COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JULY/AUGUST 2016

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