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10th Annual Center for Contemporary Arts National Juried Art Exhibition

Saturday, October 10, 2026 11:00 AM
Saturday, November 21, 2026 5:00 PM

Center for Contemporary Arts 220 Cypress Street Abilene United States (map)

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2026 Juror: Carlyn Ray

ABOUT CCAN

2025 BEST IN SHOW: *Tree of Knowledge*, Jennifer H Jones

The Center for Contemporary Arts National - known as CCAN - is a national juried art competition of the Center for Contemporary Arts in Downtown Abilene, Texas. In 2025 the 9th annual national exhibition and competition received over 325 entries submitted from 23 states across the United States. 145 works were selected for exhibition in the Center’s Jane Adams Breed Gallery and Gallery 3.

Over $7,000 is awarded annually to artists in 11 media categories, one juror’s award, and a best in show.

ABOUT THE JUROR

Carlyn’s Art

“The material itself is a mystery. Molten sand, at the temperature of lava, is formed with one’s breath, hand, and gravity into a delicate crystal form. Glass as a material can transmit or reflect light; it can be solid and strong or thin and fragile; it can outlive us for hundreds of years or break in an instant.

Working with the material is marvelous and a joy for me. I love the way it glows and changes hues from the metals added to create colors, to the light it shines from the heat and temperatures. Working with glass is being a part of it, being one with it. This present joy I believe transfers into the pieces we are working on. With its unique properties and beauty, a single glass piece can transform a room.

I raised silkworms as a child, and I became enamored by the life cycle of butterflies, woven patterns of light, and the transition from nourished safety to flying freely. My ideas emerge from this idea of nesting, growing, and the presence of now. Glass resonates in any space, light brings a presence to the room, and color captures a feel to the area. Together and with intention, I love using design to enhance any space to its fullest potential. I use glass to bring people into their space fully, presently, and with joy.”

– Carlyn Ray

Carlyn Ray is a Dallas-based glass artist known for creating large-scale installations that explore light, connection, and transformation. Through public art, architectural commissions, and fine art exhibitions, she creates immersive works that invite wonder, reflection, and a deeper sense of belonging.

A hallmark of Ray’s practice is community participation. She believes art has the power to bring people together, and many of her installations incorporate contributions from the communities they serve. Through her community studio, Dallas Glass Art, she shares the joy of creation by offering hands-on experiences that invite people of all ages to discover the transformative nature of working with glass.

Ray is also the founder of Art Reaching Out (ARO), a nonprofit organization that brings creative STEAM-based learning opportunities to underserved students through collaborative glassmaking projects. Whether creating a museum exhibition, a public artwork, or a community workshop, her goal remains the same: to share light, inspire creativity, and help people recognize the beauty and potential within themselves and one another.