
Spring 2025 Artists in Residence
Jessica Caldwell
21 May – 18 Jun. 2025
Jessica Caldwell is an interior designer and educator who believes that every space tells a story. With over 15 years of experience, her work moves fluidly between branding, decorative arts, and interior environments—always with a focus on materiality, memory, and cultural identity. She has designed for brands like Tiffany & Co., Tory Burch, and Bloomingdale’s, but her passion lies in crafting spaces that feel personal, intentional, and deeply connected to the people who inhabit them.
In 2020, she founded FOLKE CREATIVE, a Brooklyn-based design studio where she explores the power of storytelling in space. Her practice is driven by a deep curiosity about how design shapes our lived experiences—especially for communities whose histories have been overlooked. Through research, design, and hands-on making, she seeks to uncover untold narratives and reimagine the way we engage with the built environment.
Jessica’s academic background is as interdisciplinary as her work. She holds a B.A. in Fine Arts with a concentration in Art History from Howard University, a M.A. in Interior Design from the Corcoran College of Art and Design, and a Certificate in 20th Century Design from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. As an award-winning educator, she teaches interior design at Pratt Institute and the School of Visual Arts, where she encourages students to think critically about the intersections of design, culture, and artistic expression.
At the heart of it all, Jessica is a storyteller—whether through interiors, objects, or research. Her work is about more than aesthetics; it’s about creating spaces that hold meaning, reflect identity, and invite connection.
Jessica Caldwell, Bloomingdales, Womens’s Shoes, 59th Street, NYC, Completed with Kramer Design Group
Jessica Caldwell, The 8 Senses Pop-Up Shop, Completed with Kramer Design Group
Jessica Caldwell, Tory Burch, Baha Mar, Bhamas, Completed with Tory Burch
Jessica Caldwell, NIC + ZOE Flagship Store, Boston, MA, Completed with Kramer Design Group
Pratt Institute
A top-ranked college with opportunities in art, design, architecture, liberal arts and sciences, and information studies, Pratt offers nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and serves 5,140 students. The Institute’s impact expands beyond its 25-acre residential campus in Brooklyn to cutting-edge facilities throughout the borough, a landmark building and public gallery in Manhattan, as well as an extension campus, PrattMWP College of Art and Design in Utica, New York. Since its founding in 1887, Pratt has prioritized diversity and inclusion, welcoming students from all walks of life while developing and sustaining pathways to more equitable workplaces and careers.
Sam Vernon
21 May – 18 Jun. 2025
Photo by Jasper Kettner
Sam Vernon is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice merges the performance of art objects and the scholarly exploration of personal and institutional archives. With a focus on themes of identity and material cultural production in print, Vernon uses a variety of media, including installation, drawing, and assemblage, to create engaging narratives that invite critical reflection. Her work often explores the complexities of Blackness, the body, and power structures in contemporary society. Vernon has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, recently including her solo exhibition at Kunsthaus Hamburg in Germany, and has received accolades for her innovative approach to social commentary through art. Sam lives and works in NYC and teaches Drawing at Pratt Institute.
Sam Vernon, Your Best Bet, 2022, Digital print on organza, 16.5 x 60 in
Sam Vernon, Ghosts, 2009, Pen and ink, Xerox, 11 x 8.5 in
Sam Vernon, U TWIRL, 2020, Monoprint, 7.75 x 5.5 in
Sam Vernon, U?, U? K & DIE, & FREE &, & FRO, SUS, US &, Shadow Sale, 2 & Fro (Shadow), Sigh ?, Y R U O K, & EGO &, 2024, Installation view of twelve monoprints, 2024
Pratt Institute
A top-ranked college with opportunities in art, design, architecture, liberal arts and sciences, and information studies, Pratt offers nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and serves 5,140 students. The Institute’s impact expands beyond its 25-acre residential campus in Brooklyn to cutting-edge facilities throughout the borough, a landmark building and public gallery in Manhattan, as well as an extension campus, PrattMWP College of Art and Design in Utica, New York. Since its founding in 1887, Pratt has prioritized diversity and inclusion, welcoming students from all walks of life while developing and sustaining pathways to more equitable workplaces and careers.