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Partnerships that Matter: An Idealist Creates an Artists' Sanctuary
July 27, 2011
Deborrah Lindsay
Not many people would surrender their dream job at a Fortune 500 company for any reason. Even fewer would do so after supporting a loved one through a life-threatening cancer battle and then take a trip around the world to celebrate a new beginning.
Fewer still would then venture to open an international art gallery—but Deborrah Lindsay (Daytime MBA ’98) made the decision to take the road less traveled. Her friends kid her about being an “incurable idealist,” but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I believe in serendipity … and in partnering with people I meet to achieve something meaningful,” says Lindsay, originally from Japan. She enjoys bringing talented people together for creative and service-oriented reasons, including supporting humanitarian causes. The venue she founded to attract like-minded individuals is Le Petit Atelier, a gallery of international fine art and antiquities. Originally opened in Washington, DC, Lindsay also has a second location in Princeton, NJ.
“When I was a little girl, I read a collection of heartbreakingly poignant letters sent by Vincent Van Gogh to his brother Theo,” Lindsay says. “He wrote about his hopes and dreams, about creating a home for artists where they could stay and create new work. I loved his idea of creating a tranquil and welcoming place for artists. So that was my inspiration, to host international artists and introduce them to a new audience in the United States.”
As a result of being close to a loved one battling cancer, she realized how precious life is, and she left her dream job at Johnson & Johnson in international marketing and sales management to pursue a more meaningful life. Soon after, in early 2004, she ventured on a round-the-world trip to 17 nations in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America. The journey changed her view of the world and of life. Lindsay’s exposure to communities in the third world—especially the Hill Tribe People and Montagnards in Southeast Asia—redefined for her what it meant to be happy and fulfilled.
“The happiest people I met led the most simple lives. The Hill Tribe People live in bamboo huts, and have no electricity or running water,” Lindsay says. “Yet, they seemed genuinely happy and content. They enjoyed wonderful, quality time around the fire every night with their families and friends.”
Lindsay was inspired, and upon returning to the States, she made plans for a less hectic lifestyle. She decided to pursue her dreams of creating a tranquil gallery space, but first she needed to ensure she had sufficient working capital. She returned to Johnson & Johnson and saved enough to begin purchasing artwork and gallery space. She established Le Petit Atelier at the end of 2007. Good fortune quickly followed. Her first reception was featured in The Washington Post as an Editor’s Pick. Because of the gallery’s location—in an elegant 1890 brownstone next to Embassy Row—it has twice been featured on the Dupont Circle Home Tour, which has helped draw new patrons.
But running the gallery is not Lindsay’s only occupation. For nearly two years, she has also worked as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. She has a flexible schedule which allows her to regularly host artist receptions that bring together people from all walks of life: authors, documentary filmmakers, political commentators, lawyers, doctors, CEOs, government officials and White House staffers, actors, singers, and even a two-time Super Bowl champion.
“It’s not just about promoting artists and selling beautiful pieces of art. It’s about bringing talented people together from all different fields,” she says.
Among those people are many Fuqua classmates and Duke alumni with whom Lindsay has stayed in touch through the years. “There were so many brilliant people in my class, and they have been loyal supporters of my venture,” she says.
Lindsay also uses her gallery as a platform to raise awareness of important humanitarian causes—something she was also inspired to do after her experiences in Third World countries she visited. She supports organizations such as Physicians without Borders, Comfort Zone Camp, and UNICEF. And she’s serving on the Host Committee for the Capital City Ball, which raises funds to fight human trafficking, a cause close to her heart.
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