In the Spotlight
In pursuit of spatial justice, advocates work to preserve an Athens Black church
The stained glass windows that adorn the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Athens are covered in paper thin cracks.
Ohio Statehouse News Bureau, September 28, 2023
They’re so fragile, one shattered earlier this year, when March rushed in like a lion.
Still, the intricate design and striking size of the windows offer a glimpse into another time — a time when the Black community in Athens was booming and when Ada Woodson Adams was just a child.
“In 1939, when I was born, segregation existed in Ohio and surrounding areas of Athens County. And so the Black church was the center of Black life,” Woodson Adams remembered.
Destination Crenshaw announces new artworks, official grand opening pushed to early 2024
Destination Crenshaw, which organizers have called the “largest commissioning project ever undertaken for Black artists,” is growing.
Los Angeles Times, June 15, 2023
The $100-million, 1.3-mile public art corridor on Crenshaw Boulevard — reflecting and celebrating Black Los Angeles — has added four art commissions to its roster.
The project — permanent, outdoor sculptures and murals as well as 4 acres of new green space— now includes new works by sculptor Gerard Basil Stripling as well as muralists Patrick Henry Johnson, Anthony “Toons One” Martin and Kisasi Ramsess.
Destination Crenshaw also announced the creation of a collections care program to maintain what will have grown to more than 100 public art works along the corridor by late 2027. Ariana Makau, founder and principal conservator of Oakland’s Nzilani Glass Conservation, is serving as interim collections care director. She’ll assess and address the conservation needs of Destination Crenshaw artworks, recruit local talent and develop a collections care tech training program for them, as well as help to hire a permanent collections care director.
Old Windows, New Outlook
Repairing or adding art-glass windows in Bay Area homes increased significantly over the last year and a half.
Berkeley Built, December 9, 2021
Repairing failing residential windows means ensuring personal safety. In fact, what is often referred to as “stained glass” is in truth leaded-art glass (individual pieces of clear or colored glass set into lead cames to create an artistic design). Addressing lead safety while preserving old windows can be tricky when your beloved pet’s favorite sunny grooming spot happens to be under a deteriorating leaded window actively releasing lead dust.
Of course, leaded-glass windows add great value to your home, both historically and monetarily. Effective preservation of older windows is preferable, under correct health and safety precautions. Site work must always be undertaken by a leaded-glass specialist who also has certified lead-worker training.
Nzilani featured on Business RadioX
In this interview for Bay Area Business RadioX, Ariana Makau shares her journey of building an award-winning business and industry leader in health and safety.
Nzilani is a highly specialized architectural glass preservation, design and fabrication company dedicated to making the profession more equitable by being accessible to under-served communities. What started as a small, one-woman studio has expanded to include a full-time core crew of glaziers, artists, project managers and interns. The company’s clients include private residences, churches, museums, and monumental historic buildings. Capable of completing a project “in-house” from start to finish, they also frequently collaborate with GCs, architects, masons, carpenters and metalworkers, etc.
Business RadioX features long-form interviews and in-depth conversations with local business leaders, allowing them to get the word out about the work they do to serve their market, their community, and their profession.
Meet the stained glass conservator preserving history in Oakland
Minhae Shim Roth for The Oaklandside, September 24, 2021
Walking into the vaulted interior of Resurrection Church Oakland on the corner of Franklin and 17th Street, your eyes are immediately drawn to look upward. Roughly 25 feet off the ground, a glowing, 10-foot wide orb of jewel colors bulges towards you, almost as if you could reach up and touch its ethereal light.
The inverted stained glass dome is meant to be the embodiment of spirit. But just two years ago, the 118-year-old structure was in no condition to inspire. Botched by improper repairs, it was in critical condition: damaged, unsafe, and unstable.
Preserving a piece of Flagstaff history
Arizona Daily Sun, August 26, 2021
We are excited to take part in the preservation of another revered landmark! As the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Gothic-style chapel in Flagstaff, Arizona, approaches its first centennial, a team of experts has been assembled by local community leaders to bring it back to its former glory. Nzilani was enlisted to assess the condition of all stained glass windows and determine the next steps for restoration and repair. Follow the link to learn more about this beautiful shrine and the restoration efforts.
Oakland Artist Is Diversifying the Stained Glass Industry
Houreidja Tall for Next City, August 12, 2021
A typical day at Nzilani Glass Conservation could involve anything from photographing windows to restoring glass. As the only BIPOC-owned stained glass studio in the country, according to the Stained Glass Association of America, they’re providing employment for a diverse group of artists in a traditionally heavily white industry.
“When I was pursuing [glass conservation] as an interest, as an art, and then as a career, I didn’t see myself reflected in it,” says Ariana Makau, the founder of Nzilani. That’s part of the reason why Makau is deliberate about making sure her team is diverse not only racially, but in terms of life experiences as well.
Stained Glass Restorer Honors a Legacy
The Rockridge News, July 3, 2021
An Oakland newspaper features Nzilani’s work, as well as Ariana’s roots, inspiration, artistic and entrepreneurial vision, and continuous involvement in the community. The article describes Nzilani’s stained glass restoration projects at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, St. Albert’s Priory, and Resurrection Oakland Church.
The Magic of Stained Glass Restoration
Emily Beyda for Built, The Bluebeam Blog, June 28, 2021
One of the world’s most venerable decorative forms, stained glass has been experiencing something of a renaissance thanks to a growing community of popular Instagram artists. The Built Blog sat down with Makau to talk about the future of this historical medium and how restoration work can help bring the designs of the past to light.
Women in Preservation Symposium
News in Conservation, June–July 2021
Ariana Makau was a panelist at the Women in Preservation Symposium sponsored by the NSCDA and the Smithsonian Institution. This was a fantastic opportunity to “rub shoulders” with fellow professionals in the field, share insights and experiences, and highlight the importance of preserving our artistic and cultural heritage while ensuring the language of yesterday is spoken tomorrow.
Published six times a year by the International Institution for Conservation, News in Conservation provides a platform for members of the conservation community to share the latest research, interviews, and reviews. The latest issue’s front cover features three members of the Nzilani team.
San Francisco’s Victorian Houses Are Being Restored to Their Original Glory
Nzilani brings new life to antique stained glass windows in young couple's SF home
The Wall Street Journal, May 20, 2021
A growing number of San Francisco homeowners are choosing to restore historic properties—in particular the Victorians that are so synonymous with the city. When a young couple bought a 1900 Victorian in Haight Ashbury, they immediately moved in and began planning restorations and updates, starting with preserving an elaborate but disintegrating stained-glass window at the front of the house. The four-month process, overseen by local specialist Nzilani Glass Conservation, involved removing the panels and taking them apart, salvaging all of the original broken pieces and rebuilding the missing glass.
The Art of Health & Safety
Protecting Stained Glass Workers from Lead Exposure.
The Stained Glass Quarterly (SGAA), Winter 2021
What does stained glass have to do with lead and lead exposure? A clue is in its more accurate name: “leaded art glass.” Pieces of glass held together with close to 100-percent pure lead strips have been used in window fabrication for close to 1,000 years. Industrial hygienist David R. Hicks met Ariana Makau at an event focused on the control of health and safety hazards in museums, historic sites, conservation treatment, and collection care. Makau and Hicks shared their conversation about how their goals for lead safety in the workplace overlap.
SF Chronicle showcases Nzilani’s resilience
San Francisco Chronicle, April 28, 2021
The article examines Nzilani's partnership with Pacific Community Ventures, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that focuses on aiding minority-owned and woman-owned companies in low-income areas. Since 2016, PCV has provided Nzilani with crucial business advice, allowing us to restructure our finances, invigorate our bidding system for projects, and streamline our hiring and procurement processes. Thanks to PCV’s help, and the two PPP loans we received, none of our staff were laid off during the pandemic and, despite the mandatory lockdowns early on, we are on schedule with existing projects and looking forward to starting new ones.
Preservation exhibit highlights Nzilani’s accomplishments
Dumbarton House, NSCDA headquarters, April 2021
Ariana Makau was selected with nine other women to be featured at the Power in Preservation exhibit, hosted by the Dumbarton House in Washington, D.C. The exhibit celebrates the role of women in preservation. Read interviews with Ariana and nine other prominent preservationists from across the nation, on subjects ranging from past challenges to future opportunities and goals.
Katie Freeman interviews Ariana
Maker Mom Podcast, February 3, 2021
Ariana is a wife and mother of two. She is also the second person in the world – and the first woman – to receive a Master’s Degree in Stained Glass Conservation from the Royal College of Art in London. Ariana has over 25 years of experience with art and architectural preservation. In addition to her conservation work she gives presentations at national conferences, public talks and in the classroom.
Are Your Stained Glass Windows Failing You?
Sacred Places, Winter 2021
Stained glass windows are often the crowning glory of a sacred space. Serving the dual purpose of art and architecture, they augment and enhance a space like few other architectural assets. Yet, for all their beauty, their primary purpose is to protect people from the elements. When windows start to bend or leak due to broken joints or cracked glass, most people notice the damage and call a specialist for help. What many people often miss is another key element—lead.
The Art of Health and Safety
Protecting Stained Glass Workers from Lead Exposure.
The Synergyst (AIHA), September 2020
Industrial hygienist David R. Hicks met Ariana Makau, the founder of a company that conserves historical glass works, in October 2019 at an event focused on the control of health and safety hazards in museums, historic sites, conservation treatment, and collection care. The Fourth Annual Safety and Cultural Heritage Summit was presented by the Potomac Local Section of AIHA; the Washington Conservation Guild; the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Safety, Health and Environmental Management; and the Smithsonian National Collections Program in collaboration with the Lunder Conservation Center. At the event, Makau introduced Hicks to issues related to lead exposure in stained glass conservation, and the two began discussing how safety professionals, art conservators, and artists can work together while preserving stained glass as an art form.
Behind The Glass: Creating A Space For Women In A Centuries Old Craft
By Angela Cacace, M.O.B. Editorials
Makau is every bit dynamic and nuanced as her chosen craft. She is passionate about leaving, in her words, “a legacy of creating a more diverse group of people who can preserve and create stained glass.” After perfecting her skills in glass conservation in museums around the world, Ariana knew there was a need to continue its legacy. She wanted to do so in a respectful, enjoyable, and safe way. “We make and preserve monumental artistic works…with our hands!” she remarks, “It’s thought-provoking and labor-intensive. Our work will physically survive for generations and contributes to the cityscape in which it’s located.”
Preservation Design Award for Craftsmanship and Preservation Technology
California Preservation Foundation, 2020
In early 2019, Nzilani Glass Conservation was contacted by Resurrection Church in downtown Oakland to conserve the 12 panel, inverted stained-glass dome in their sanctuary. The building had originally been owned by the First Church of Christ, Scientist (1902-2015), then been purchased to be converted to a retail space (2015-2019), then bought in 2019 by ResOak, Oakland to be used again as a church. At 118-years-old, the dome was in a critical state of disrepair, requiring multi-approached conservation involving engineers, metal-smiths, stained-glass, scaffolding and documentation. This included glass stabilization, re-leading and the re-engineering of its structural support system. The uncommon inverted orientation of the dome required the team to come up with innovative new methods to return the dome to its original state, while also improving its structural integrity, allowing a new generation of congregants and the public at large to enjoy its beauty.
Local Oakland stained glass conservation studio pivots to make masks for those in need
When the shelter in place order was announced in mid-March, Makau immediately started thinking about how she could keep her staff employed while continuing to serve those in the Bay Area Community. Nzilani’s core values are “Be Safe. Have Fun. Do Excellent Work.” The company leads the industry in best practices for employee protection from lead exposure while working with stained glass. It seemed logical for the company to pivot to making cloth masks. The talented Nzilani crew could continue working as an essential business and provide protection for those in need.