Ariana Makau
Style #3537, Oakland, CA
Ariana Makau video
Ariana Makau
Stained Glass Conservator
I've been conserving stained glass for 30 years. Often, people hear that and only think of art galleries or museums. Some of my work is detailed and delicate, but I also do a lot more. In the last few years, I've started saying I work in stained glass preservation. It's more inclusive and combines restoration with conservation.
The work I do is physical, repairing windows made of glass and lead that are often unstable and heavy. We lift, build, solder, and glaze them. It's skilled labor, maintaining jobsite safety, standing on scaffolding with boots on and tools in hand. We ensure pieces over a hundred years old last and still fulfill their primary function. No one cares if you did a great job at matching a glass color if your window leaks.
I earned my master’s in stained glass conservation from the Royal College of Art in London. At the time, I was the second person in the world—and the first woman—to earn that degree. Then I worked in studios where craftspeople passed down their knowledge the old-school way: by doing hands-on work on building sites and in studios. I learned by watching, asking a lot of questions, and working with them side by side.
Actually building a stained glass window, that’s where the trades and art intersect.
ARIANA MAKUA
After training for a few years, I founded Nzilani Glass Conservation. We preserve windows that hold the history of entire communities—churches, homes, museums, public buildings. Every space deserves respect, no matter the setting. I tell my crew: we're not just preserving a window; we're stepping into someone's sacred space. Our job is to leave things better than we found them, whether that means replacing century-old lead came or making sure the floor's cleaner than when we arrived.
For me, safety comes first. Nzilani's motto is "Be Safe. Have Fun. Do Excellent Work." I insist on having the proper PPE and specialty HazMat training for our team, because no job is worth it if the crew isn't looked after. The work puts my Red Wings through the wringer – on scaffolding, in the woodshop, and on dirty floors in forgotten corners of historic buildings. Like my team, they need to be tough and built for long days on your feet.
Sharing safety information and explaining the "why" of what we do is key to successful outreach. I started a nonprofit, The Fillet Foundation, that supports people and places in underrepresented communities to gain access to (and appreciate the value of) the preservation trades. I also speak at schools, because young people need to see that there's more than one way to build a career, especially one that uses both your head and your hands. I always say the two things we can’t train are curiosity and drive, everything else is teachable. It doesn’t matter how you got here, it matters what you do now. Preservation isn't about standing still—it's about carrying stories forward. If I've done my job right, my work will outlast all of us.
There's a story worn into every pair of Red Wings.
We want to hear yours.
Each year, Red Wing is proud to induct new honorees to the Wall of Honor in order to permanently preserve, share, and respect their lifetime of work. Nominate a co-worker, family member, or yourself for the Red Wing Shoes Wall of Honor.