How Texas-Based Japhet Bates Collective Brings Joy to the Art Collection Process

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For longtime friends and interior designers Lisa Rowe-Bates and Juli Japhet, art isn’t just their profession. It’s their passion. And when passion and profession overlap, the result is unstoppable. Here at this intersection, the Japhet Bates Collective was launched.

A contemporary art gallery and platform, the collective was created to make art collecting bespoke, engaging, and enjoyable. Who doesn’t want that? With decades of design experience, as well as Rowe-Bates’ formal background in art history and arts education, the dynamic duo brings both aesthetic insight and industry knowledge to their curatorial work. 

Japhet Bates Collective offers a gallery experience that feels open, intuitive, and human. At the Collective, discovery is effortless, and connection is at the heart of every interaction.

Almost three years ago, the idea of opening the gallery space was born out of the tremendous need for the pair’s design clients to collect original art. With a focus on loving and collecting art themselves, as well as a penchant for finding a strong mix of both emerging and mid-career artists, the two friends knew they could help take their clients’ spaces to the next level.

Japhet Bates Collective first shared a space with Susanna Showers Moldawer in Houston’s Window Shop, where they would hang their artists’ works in carefully curated vignettes. They soon outgrew the space as demand increased (a good problem to have!), and it became clear they needed a more traditional gallery space and onsite storage to better serve their clients.

“We loved our location on the corner of W. Alabama and Timmons,” says Japhet. “With the help of our amazing landlord, we were able to renovate a space just above our current one and transform it into a beautiful, light-filled space that is perfect for displaying our growing roster of artists and hosting large exhibitions.”

The Collective celebrated its grand reopening in October of 2025 with Catherine Howe’s solo show and has a dynamic slate of exhibitions planned for 2026, including Roi James’ solo show “Constructed Abstractions, American Modern Reassembled” (starting on February 5 from 5 pm to 7 pm), Dana Piazza in March, Michael Wayne Hall and Sundquist in May, and Audrey Stone’s and Joanne Freeman’s show in September.

But, they’re not just a gallery. Japhet Bates Collective is a full platform. In addition to exhibitions, the gallery also offers art advisory and consulting services for private collectors and designers. Rather than operate as conventional gallerists, Rowe-Bates and Japhet see themselves as partners to collectors and advocates for artists, committed to building community through art. Because everyone knows finding the perfect piece is only half the game — it’s all about where you home it.

“We’re unique in that we are both interior designers, so we have the visual experience to help guide collectors choose the right piece for their space,” says Rowe-Bates.

With the Collective’s advisory services, clients can go beyond just sourcing art and instead both acquire and display original pieces that reflect their unique style and enhance their environments. 

Whether finding the perfect piece for a personal collection or a commercial space, Japhet Bates Collective ensures every work resonates with its setting and makes the process enjoyable along the way.