Kate Vogl (left) and Jeff Lincoln (right) of JK Art & Design Projects in their gallery, a former 19th-century power station in Southampton on Eastern Long Island. Photo: Lindsay Morris



by Benjamin Genocchio


Jeff Lincoln’s route to the design world was unconventional. He arrived not through architecture or the decorative arts, but through journalism, spending years as a political reporter for The Wall Street Journal. That early career instilled a habit of research, storytelling, and intellectual curiosity that would distinguish his successful career in interior design and, later, his exhibitions at the gallery he established in Southampton in 2016, where art, furniture, craft, and architecture were presented as interconnected forms of cultural expression. A decade later, Lincoln is writing a new, unconventional chapter.



A gallery vignette featuring a selection of collectible design works, including Gemstone Mirror by Ashley Hicks, a pair of Cornaro Sofas by Carlo Scarpa, Cobalt Planters by Peter Lane, Funky Stump Chair #1 and #2 and Turquoise Chair by Trevor King, and Jeff Zimmerman’s Bubble Cluster, 2022, blown glass light sculpture. Photo: Lindsay Morris



The gallery has been reimagined as JK Art & Design Projects, a partnership between Lincoln and Kate Vogel, the former director of contemporary design and art galleries Friedman Benda and Gallery Valentine. The new venture represents more than a change of name. It signals an expanded vision for what a contemporary design gallery can be — one rooted in collaboration, artist development, historical dialogue, and community engagement.


“After ten years, I wanted to give the gallery new life, a different perspective, and new energy,” Lincoln says. “I had known Kate from her years at Friedman Benda, and after she left we reconnected. She had a compelling idea about bringing in more primary artists for us to develop and represent, and she has experience managing artist relationships. It became clear that joining forces would allow us to build something larger than either of us could do independently.”




Francesca Dimattio, Meissen Du Paquir Wall Mirror, 2025. Glaze on porcelain, gold luster, and glass, 50 x 46 x 8 inches

The partnership unites two complementary careers. Lincoln brings the eye of an interior designer and the narrative sensibility of a writer. Vogel contributes nearly two decades of experience working with some of the most significant contemporary designers of the past generation, along with an international network of artists, collectors, and institutions. We’re absolutely going to remain design-heavy, with artists augmenting the core program,” she says. “But we want to be much more artist- and designer-driven. The name JK Art & Design Projects was chosen deliberately. We want it to suggest an active platform that supports artists and designers working at the cutting edge of making — people with genuinely original voices. Some are emerging talents, while others are simply underrecognized in the marketplace and deserve a stronger platform to develop their work.”


That philosophy builds naturally upon the gallery Lincoln established over the past decade. His exhibitions consistently paired historical masters such as Charlotte Perriand, Jean Prouvé, Joaquim Tenreiro, Oscar Niemeyer, Sergio Rodrigues, and Wendell Castle with contemporary figures including Rogan Gregory, Jeff Zimmerman, Katie Stout, Joris Laarman, and David Wiseman. Major contemporary artists such as Richard Prince, Christopher Wool, and John Chamberlain appeared alongside collectible design, while exhibitions exploring Brazilian Modernism, the ceramics of Francisco Brennand, and the work of renowned Italian ceramicist Bruno Gambone demonstrated the gallery’s longstanding commitment to cross-disciplinary dialogue.



José Zanine Calda, Dining Table, 1975. Vinhatico wood, 29.5 x 98.38 x 41 inches



“Contemporary design doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” Lincoln explains. “We’ve always maintained a thread of vintage design because history provides context. I’ve had a longstanding passion for Brazilian Modernism, both in my interior design practice and in the gallery. There is only so much French or American modern furniture you can source before interiors begin to feel predictable. Brazilian design introduces warmth, material richness, and another way of thinking about modernism.”


Another defining focus will be ceramics, a medium both Lincoln and Vogel believe embodies the collapse of old distinctions between fine art, craft, and design. “Ceramics are really a sweet spot for us,” Vogel says. “Many of today’s most interesting artists and designers are working in clay because it allows for extraordinary freedom and material expression. We love its tactility, its intimacy, and the stories it carries through the hand of the maker. The old hierarchy that separated craft from art has essentially dissolved.” Lincoln points to artists such as John Mason — an American artist known for his groundbreaking clay wall reliefs and imposing ceramic sculptures beginning in the late 1950s — as pioneers who helped dismantle those boundaries decades ago, opening the way for today’s generation of ceramic artists.



Rogan Gregory, Sculptural Polar Bear Coffee Table, 2021. Gypsum “terrazzo” composite with bronze signature medallion, 16½ x 75 x 55 inches



The gallery’s relationship with Los Angeles-based artist Carmen D’Apollonio illustrates that long-term commitment to nurturing creative talent. Lincoln encountered her work well before she achieved international recognition and began exhibiting it early in her career. “I saw something special immediately,” he recalls. “We developed a friendship and began showing her work. At one point, [collectible design dealer] Mark Benda called me and asked why she had not returned his call to her. I called and told her she absolutely should call him back — it was an opportunity worth pursuing. If there was a path forward for her, I wanted to support it.”


Appropriately titled Just Kidding, the opening exhibition established the tone for JK Art & Design Projects. It brought together an eclectic mix including Jean Prouvé, artist Donald Judd, Andrea Branzi, Maria Pergay, American art furniture pioneer Wendell Castle, and Brazilian Modern furniture designer Joaquim Tenreiro, with Katie Stout, Carmen D’Apollonio, Casey McCafferty, Rogan Gregory, and other contemporary makers to explore humor, curiosity, and playfulness as serious artistic strategies, not distractions from rigorous design thinking.



Works seen here: An untitled oil on canvas diptych by Alexandre Kasproviez; Campana Brothers, Bolotas Chairs and Bolotas Sofa; Peter Lane, Melencolia Glazed Ceramic Side Tables; sand cast aluminum Spiral Coffee Table by Chris Wolston; and Hugo Rodriguez, Totem – Wood Sculpture. Photo: Lindsay Morris


Photo: Lindsay Morris



The exhibition also signaled the gallery’s expanded commitment to developing artists over the long term. Alongside established names, JK Art & Design Projects will be introducing emerging talents such as Darcy Miro, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate whose exhibition Darcy’s World marked her transition from jewelry to furniture and lighting. Later this year, the gallery will present new work by Los Angeles-based bronze artist Will Farrell, followed by a solo exhibition devoted to the celebrated ceramic artist Peter Lane.


Lincoln and Vogel also envision the gallery itself evolving beyond the commercial model. The goal is to create a platform for every kind of creative exchange,” Lincoln says. “We want historical and contemporary voices to intersect not only through exhibitions but through installations, workshops, conversations, and community programming.”




Discover More From JK Art & Design Projects on Incollect