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.

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.

A 10-foot diameter, inverted stained glass dome from the historic Christian Science church on 1701 Franklin will soon be re-installed by Nzilani Glass Conservation. The church was recently purchased by Resurrection Oakland Church, who contracted Nzilani to preserve the 118 year-old piece in their West Oakland Studio after an initial assessment identified previous bad repairs.