GoKawiilKey Takeaways Bigeleisen founded her Brooklyn-based functional design practice in 2020.
She taught full time in New York City public schools to fund her practice and business.
As of September 2025, she left teaching to build her studio — and triple her income.
This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Hannah Bigeleisen, a New York City-based sculptural furniture and lighting designer. Bigeleisen founded her Brooklyn-based design practice in 2020 after debuting her first lighting collection at Brooklyn Designs. She has an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and taught high school full time before leaving teaching in September 2025 to focus on her studio business — and triple her income. She averages $10,000 to $15,000 a month. Her involvement with 3pts, a creative business consultancy and co-op founded by Kim Robinson Jr. to help independent artists and makers build sustainable practices, helped her learn the business fundamentals. The piece has been edited for length and clarity.
Image Credit: Wrenne Evans. Hannah Bigeleisen.
Pursuing art and teaching in New York City
After graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Art, where I studied sculpture and drawing with an emphasis on printmaking, I moved to New York City in 2010. I began working as an artist assistant. I worked for Katrin Sigurdardóttir to help fabricate her piece for the Venice Biennale, and Orly Genger to help fabricate her piece in Madison Square Park. That was really inspiring to me as a young woman who was new to the city. I was like, Okay. I can see them doing this. This is an attainable thing for me.
At that point, I also started to teach. I wanted a job that was a little bit more sustainable and would allow me to afford a studio space in the city as I prepared for my graduate school portfolio. So I started teaching at an arts preschool, which was a really low stakes but exciting way for me to dip my toe into the field of education because these little kids were so free with their movements and their approach to making and mark-making.
Teaching as an opportunity for impact
... continue reading