Details
April 27, 2026
7:00PM - 8:00PM EDT
FLARE Virtual Program: Jackie Kennedy & Brooklyn's Design Works
FLARE YouTube Channel
What role did Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis play in shaping a creative and economic initiative in Brooklyn in 1969?
Join us on Monday, April 27, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm for our next FLARE Virtual Program. In this presentation, we explore a little-known chapter in Jackie Kennedy’s post–White House life: her involvement in launching The Design Works of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, this innovative craft enterprise was designed to support local artisans, promote economic opportunity, and bring national attention to the community.
This talk examines:
- How Jackie Kennedy became interested in Bedford-Stuyvesant
- Why she supported the creation of a craft-based business
- The role she played in promoting and sustaining Design Works
- The broader historical significance of this initiative
The presentation also introduces the forthcoming book:
Stories in Fabric: The Design Works of Bedford-Stuyvesant, to be published by Fordham University Press.
About the Speaker:
Phyllis Ross is an independent scholar of twentieth-century decorative arts and design. She is the author of Gilbert Rohde: Modern Design for Modern Living and was awarded a Schomburg Scholars-in-Residence Fellowship in 2020 for this project. Her work spans research, curation, and public programs at the Yale University Art Gallery, Cooper Hewitt, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Bard Graduate Center.
Topics covered:
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis • First Ladies • Brooklyn history • Bedford-Stuyvesant • women’s history • American history • urban development • craft and design history
About FLARE:
The First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) promotes scholarship, public understanding, and engagement with the lives and legacies of America’s First Ladies.
