The Fabric of Activism: The Design Works of Bedford-Stuyvesant

6 pm reception
6:30 pm lecture

The Design Works of Bedford Stuyvesant (1969–1978) was an innovative project initiated by textile designers D.D. and Leslie Tillett, at the instigation of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Many members of the staff were residents of one of New York’s most blighted neighborhoods. With the goal of producing high-end hand-printed fabrics for the decorator trade, the Tilletts trained them as designers and printers of striking fabrics inspired by African art. In this conversation Phyllis Ross and Seth Tillett will join Donald Albrecht to discuss the inspiration and evolution of ‘The Bed-Stuy Project,’ as a model for aesthetic innovation and social change.

Donald Albrecht is curator of architecture and design at the Museum of the City of New York and was co-curator of the exhibition The World of D.D. and Leslie Tillett.

Phyllis Ross is a specialist in 20th-century design and decorative arts history. She was a co-curator for the exhibition, The World of D.D. and Leslie Tillett at the Museum of the City of New York and currently is working on a book about the history of Design Works.

Seth Tillett is a lighting designer for film and theater and co-founder of the interior design and textile firm Tillett and Rauscher, Inc. 

Tickets

$25.00 General Admission/$20.00 Students and Seniors 

212-501-3011, programs@bgc.bard.edu