FEATURE
Jean Lin
ORGANIZATION
Colony
Location
196 West Broadway, New York
Type
Interview
Contact
Earlier this year, Tribeca welcomed the new home of Colony after 10 years at its storied 324 Canal St location. Colony, a New York City design staple, has succeeded at a goal that many organizations and creatives often attempt but fail to achieve: becoming a multi-hyphenate. Within these walls lies a space with seemingly endless possibilities and stories—a co-op and residency program that has produced some of the city’s finest design talents, an interior design and art consultancy, and an event venue and third space that hosts everything from group exhibitions to yoga sessions and drink & draws.
If Colony is difficult to define, its founder Jean Lin is an impossibility. In an insightful, introspective, and somewhat chaotic hour with Jean, we got a glimpse into her life and mind. To the world, she is a gallerist, consultant, mentor, and, most recently, an author. To us, Jean defines the modern renaissance woman. Through all the twists and turns of her journey with Colony, she remains endlessly ambitious, uncompromising, hands-on, and fueled by the work ethic needed to make it all work. Not to mention, she’s a new mom to an adorable son. Both an open book and an enigma, we were grateful to have this conversation with Jean on what lessons she’s kept after a decade in this industry and what comes next:
Colony differs from a traditional gallery by operating as a co-op and a community. Could you describe exactly what that means for both the artists on your roster and for your customers?
At the most basic level, the co-op model we’ve been operating for over ten years means friendlier margins for the designers we represent. We charge a much smaller commission than a more traditional gallery and this allows our designers to grow with their sales. To our customers, we hope to be a resource and a point of inspiration, with the co-op model only factoring when they are interested in learning more. Of course I hope they become interested in learning more about our model but really want to stay consistent in strong curation and quality.
Many of the artists on your roster have been a part of Colony for many years now. When you work with an artist for that long, especially as part of a co-op which is more interactive and less transactional compared to traditional galleries, how does that relationship change over time?
This is a wonderful question. Many of my designers have been with me for over ten years and like all long term relationships we have grown together, moving towards a shared goal. We’ve all gone through unbelievable personal growth as well so those changes also affect our relationships. We have certainly hit bumps along the road, with our fair share of disagreements but at the end of the day, time together deepens our understanding of each other’s goals and mindset.
You mentioned never compromising on the curatorial aspect of Colony. How does that principle manifest itself when it comes to choosing your artists? If you had to describe a uniting theme behind Colony’s artists/collections, how would you?
At this point, we rarely add designers outside of our Residency program. When we do, it’s not just a matter of whether I think the work is strong and purposeful, but also how I think it will do in the market. Namely, is this work good, can it sell, and lastly will this studio be able to produce it reliably?
In addition to all that Colony offers as a physical location, Colony has also recently begun ecommerce, starting with objects. What’s your take on the role of ecommerce in the world of collectible design?
We’ve launched the Objet section of our website which allows for online purchases. We’re just not experts on e-commerce and the reality of Colony is that we’re a small team and I have to decide where we focus our resources for growth. It’s impossible to compete with the giants of the space because they are large companies that are as much tech companies as they are design companies. That being said, I hope that it can become a complement to our focus, which is the in person experience of visiting the gallery.
Colony also consists of its CO-LAB and Colony Consult branches. Could you tell us about the projects under these branches and who they typically work with?
Our consultancy is really an umbrella for work that we do outside of the sales and events at the gallery. This includes interior design, content creation, marketing and art direction. On the interior design side we love working with homeowners, architects and developers on creating textured and beautiful interiors.
In the 10+ years Colony has operated, how has it pivoted and grown over the years? What’s its trajectory in the next few years?
The co-op has stayed steady and consistent, but because of the model, it’s very hard to scale and grow as a gallery with such small commissions. Because of that the consultancy is imperative to the growth of Colony. The goal has never been, and still isn’t fast, or enormous growth rather steady and holistic growth that makes sense for the business and my ethos.
Think back to yourself when you were first starting Colony. Given your experience so far, if you had to give advice to yourself back then, what would it be and why?
This question is interesting. I think I was stressed and pushing so hard back then. The amount I worked and pushed probably wasn’t healthy, and my life now is so much more balanced. So one might conclude that the advice I’d give myself would be to try not to stress and to prioritize my mental health more back then. However, I don’t think I could have accomplished what I did back then without that unstoppable drive that often came at the cost of my mental health. I would probably say: it’s hard because it matters and you’re doing great. Keep going.
Finally, congratulations on publishing your first book! Its release coincides with Colony’s move to a new location in Tribeca. In the spirit of your book, What We Keep, what are your favorite memories you’re leaving behind in the walls of Colony’s old space and what opportunities are you most excited about now that you have a new space to curate?
The ten years I spent at 324 Canal will always be the most important years of my career. It is where I made my dreams come true, between group exhibits, community events like yoga classes and political protest poster making. It was home for so long, it’s hard to imagine our new space at 196 W Broadway will be the same. And the reality is that it won’t! It will be new and that’s what I’m so excited about – finding the new personality of the gallery in our new space and sharing it with our clients and friends, old and new.
