2025 Juror: Robbie Barber
2025 Juror: Robbie Barber
ABOUT CCAN
2024 BEST OF SHOW: Ron Crouch, Sleeping Man with Red Socks
CCAN is an annual national juried art competition hosted by the Center for Contemporary Arts in Downtown Abilene. In 2024 this national competition received over 315 entries submitted from over 30 states across the United States. 157 works were selected for exhibition in the Center’s Jane Adams Breed Gallery and Gallery 3.
ABOUT THE JUROR
Robbie Barber
Robbie’s Art
“My travels throughout rural America have attracted me to the strong visual character of this country’s vernacular architecture. Vintage lap-board houses, mobile homes, and agriculture- related structures have become regional icons that ultimately tell the stories of their inhabitants and builders. This implied history interests me deeply. Typically considered eyesores, these structures are glaring reminders of the social and economic plight of much of our society. Yet on a formal level, they have a hidden beauty, complex in color, texture, and shape. A feeling of sadness is often prevalent in these works, featuring the last vestiges of a life lived.”
Robbie Barber is currently Professor of Art at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and has taught Sculpture there since 2000. Born in Williamston, North Carolina in 1964, he was raised on a farm near the Roanoke River in Martin County. He received his BFA degree from East Carolina University in 1987 and his MFA degree from the University of Arizona in 1991. He has gained notoriety as a sculptor working in a variety of media, and is the recipient of numerous awards. These include a North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship and a Southern Arts Federation/NEA Fellowship in Sculpture. He has exhibited at Redbud Gallery in Houston, Texas, Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, New York, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art in Auburn, Alabama, Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum in Tokyo, Japan, to name a few.
2025 CCAN Calendar
July 28: Call opens for submissions. Apply at callforentry.ORG
August 29: Deadline for submissions. No entries accepted beyond this date.
september 5: Notification of selected artwork.
September 12: Artwork images due
September 15: Deadline to receive artwork at The Center.
October 2: Exhibition opens to the public.
October 3: VIP reCEPTION from 5-7PM
October 4: Public Reception from 2pm - 4pm; Awards & Check Presentation at 3pm
November 15: Exhibition closes.
December 6: Deadline to pick up hand-delivered artwork.
Nov. 24 – Dec. 12, 2025: Crate + return shipping.
2024 Winners
2024 Installation Images
