Up Close With Edward Bartholomew

BY SHIRLEY COYLE, LC

Edward Bartholomew’s path to lighting design was anything but direct. As an undergraduate studying art and working in theatre, he was fascinated by the expressive power of performance, until one encounter shifted his trajectory: a James Turrell installation at San Francisco’s Capp Street Project.

“It was beautiful, sublime—a house deconstructed with light. I didn’t know light could have that kind of impact,” Edward recalled. That revelation launched a lifelong pursuit of light as a creative medium.

Breaking into the field, however, was difficult. With an art background, opportunities in lighting were scarce. “I eventually found my community of fellow lighting nerds at the IES San Francisco gatherings,” he said.

Seeking to build a career, Edward moved to New York, earned a Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design at Parsons School of Design, and won the 1995 Howard Brandston Student Award. Though New York’s design world proved insular, his early work with Addison Kelly was formative.

He went on to build a multifaceted career, working as a designer and teacher in San Francisco and Seattle, serving as a utility company lighting expert in Boston, and later joining the firm Available Light.

In 2020, the pandemic brought disruption but also opportunity. After being laid off, Edward relaunched Bartholomew Lighting, centering on retrofit projects and reimagining existing buildings under the tagline “Revitalizing environments with light.”

As his practice grew, Edward became a leading voice on the intersection of lighting, equity, and community. He co-founded Light Justice, an initiative dedicated to reframing lighting as a matter of social and environmental equity.

“Too often, under-resourced communities endure inadequate lighting designed for surveillance rather than safety or dignity,” he explained. “They do not get good lighting—they get the bare minimal lighting that provides utility and surveillance, which is unequal and often oppressive.

Light Justice counters this through four guiding principles: engage, co-educate, empower, and deploy. Projects include night walks to evaluate existing conditions, workshops where residents help shape solutions, advocacy to resist value engineering that undermines equity, and design that reflects a community’s vision.

Recent initiatives include the Roxbury Night Lights Walk in Boston’s Nubian Square and broader efforts to bring professional lighting design to the Roxbury community. “I’m proud of what we’re doing—not just working for the privileged few, but looking at lighting’s impact across communities,” he said.

Through Light Justice, Edward amplifies designers and projects that embody these values.

Education is central to Edward’s work. He helped secure a $30,000 Nuckolls Fund grant for Morgan State University, creating the first lighting design course at an HBCU. Co-teaching with Greg Guarnaccia, he saw the program as an essential step toward expanding the pipeline of diverse talent.

Today, as a Nuckolls Fund board member, he advocates for broader support of programs and students at HBCUs and Tribal Colleges.

He also co-founded BUILD (Black United in Lighting & Design), an affinity group offering Black lighting professionals a safe space to share knowledge, experiences, and support. “BUILD has been so valuable—every meeting is uplifting,” Edward reflected.

Mentorship has shaped his journey as well. Weekly check-ins with Mark Loeffler, IALD, IES Emeritus, LEED Fellow, evolved into a shared advocacy for equity. Together they advanced the ideas behind Light Justice, presenting at conferences such as LightFair and, with designer Lya Osborn, publishing articles linking lighting design to social and environmental justice.

In just five years, Light Justice has grown into an influential nonprofit with an active board and advisors.

Edward remains candid about the profession’s responsibilities. To him, lighting design is more than art and science—it is also psychology and social impact. “We do not design in a vacuum. Our lighting designs always have a social impact. Design involves conscious choices about who receives what qualities of lighting and who is prioritized.”

“Even before design,” he continued, “clients choose whether to engage our services, which is about access and placement. Then there are choices about products—who controls access to them, and who they choose to share that with.”

As an active member of the IES DEIR committee, Edward is proud of the committee’s ongoing efforts to embed equity in the organization. “By embedding this committee into the fabric of the IES, it brings critical insight into how standards, committees, and conferences can become more inclusive and equitable.”

On the current push back related to diversity, equity and inclusion, Edward commented, “I’m old enough to remember when those things were always being pushed back against—people trying to squash diversity, inclusion, equity and respect. They’re just being more real about it right now. It makes what we do with Light Justice and BUILD even more important. We have to stand strong. We’re looking at allies—who’s standing with us, who shares those values on sustainability, social responsibility?”

Edward’s advice to younger professionals: seek involvement and community. “Don’t hide behind screens. If you find something you’re passionate about, join with people who share that passion. It’s encouraging that the industry is not as closed off as it once was. Young people are finding their communities in lighting. That’s something I didn’t have starting out—but it’s something I want to continue to nurture through my advocacy.”

Outside of lighting, Edward treasures time with his family, enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, exploring the natural beauty of the Northeast, and indulging his deep love of ‘70s soul music.