Design gallery and strategy firm Colony is pleased to announce its latest group show titled “The Independents”. Debuting on May 8, the show will feature work from Colony’s past, present and future roster; celebrating the passion Colony founder Jean Lin shares with the extended community of independent American designers she has cultivated.

Since its founding in 2014, spotlighting the best of independent North American design has always been at the core of Colony’s mission. When Lin first opened the gallery on a second-floor Canal Street loft, she did so with the intent of uniting craftspeople and established studios that had become her source of inspiration. Over the past decade, Colony has played a pivotal role in shaping and supporting this growing movement; serving as a bridge between artistry and commercial viability, and between grass-roots community and those who can support it. Through its cooperative model, Colony continues to provide independent makers the platform to shine and focus on their growth, fostering a spirit of community and collaboration.

The Independents is a culmination of Colony’s decade-long celebration of independent American designers, exploring the deep-rooted “why” behind each maker’s creative journey. The work on view, a survey of American design, is a testament to the impact Colony has made on not just the independent studio but the industry as a whole.

Each piece will serve as a love letter to the spirit of the sole practitioner; highlighting the personal, universal, and complex reasons driving designers to push boundaries and create work that is uniquely their own.

“I’m very proud of the community of independent designers that we have built at Colony over the past decade,” says Colony founder Lin. “The Independents exhibition encapsulates my very own “why.” My belief in the independent spirit is limitless, and so is my awe.”

Twenty seven design studios from Colony’s past, present and future roster will be showcasing their unique personal take on what it means to be an independent designer. Alumni Chen & Kai and Aaron Poritz will both exhibit deeply personal work: Chen&Kai’s “Walnut Corner Chair,” inspired by the Chinese tradition of passing walnuts from one generation to the next will be showing alongside Poritz’ “The Bobcat,” a figurative side table in memory of his father. Current Colony designers, such as Hiroko Takeda, Moving Mountains, and SSS Atelier, are presenting brand new work inspired by the exhibition brief. Notably, design studios born from Colony’s annual Designers’ Residency program, such as past residents Ember Studio and Thomas Yang Studio, will be showing new work alongside recently launched studios from the 2025 class including Studio BC Joshua.

Full List of Participating Designers
Past: Chen and Kai, Aaron Poritz, Farrah Sit, Fort Standard, Pete Oyler
Present: A Space, Bec Brittain, Erickson Aesthetics, Grain, Hiroko Takeda, Kawabi, KWH, M Callahan, Moving Mountains, SSS Atelier, Scheibe Design, Studio Paolo Ferrari,
Future: Marmar Studio, Ember Studio, M.Pei Studio, Alara Alkan Studio, Thomas Yang Studio, Maxwell Taylor-Milner, BC Joshua