Echoes of history: Nzilani Stained Glass with Ariana Makau

Tangible Remnants

This week's episode features a insightful conversation with the trailblazing Ariana Makau. She shares her journey into the field of stained glass conservation and the challenges she faces as a Black woman in a predominantly white industry. She discusses the importance of honoring heritage and the founding of her own company, Nzilani Glass Conservation. Ariana also highlights the unique position of stained glass conservation in the preservation field and the need for proper health and safety practices. She talks about so many things I never considered - like the importance of blood lead level testing, the responsibility of employers in preserving the health of their workers, and the safe preservation of stained glass windows. As she points out the main components of stained glass are lead and glass - so it was fascinating to learn more about safety protocol.

Instagram Highlights: Ariana's stained glass work

Links:

• Nzilani Glass Conservation
• Nzilani Safety Articles
• Article: The Art of Health and Safety: Protecting Stained Glass Workers from Lead Exposure by Ariana Makau & David Hicks
• Tangible Remnants on Instagram
• Tangible Remnants Website
• LinkedTr.ee for resources
• Earn CEUs for listening to this podcast
• Signup for Ask Me Anything w/ Nakita Reed
• Gabl Media Network
• Sarah Gilberg's Music

Bio: Ariana Makau is the founder, principal conservator of Nzilani Glass Conservation, and current Interim Collections C.A.R.E. Director of Destination Crenshaw. She holds a MA in Stained Glass Conservation from the V&A/RCA, in London, England; and has been involved in preservation for 30 years. She has worked at numerous museums in the States and abroad including the V&A, the Met, SFMoMA and Getty Museum. Ariana has served on the Board of the Stained Glass Association of America (SGAA), is a Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), and a current board member of the Western Chapter of the Association of Preservation Technology (APT). Makau’s work is most fulfilling when at the intersection of equity, preservation and art.

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**This episode is sponsored by www.Smartsheet4architects.com, a better way to manage architecture projects.**

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