LongitudeSite organized a field trip to the Amati Violin Shop in Houston on December 15, 2025.

(See a reel of highlights.)

The group included students and alumni from Rice University and University of St Thomas, with majors and interests ranging from music composition, harp performance, biology, arts, to business. The conversations centered on craftsmanship and preservation in the arts.

Featured left to right: Kate Marcus, Ipek Martinez, Shane Cook, Peter Shaw, Nora Navarro, Evalyn Navarro, Schubert Huang.

Peter Shaw, owner of the shop, an expert violin/cello maker and restorer, welcomed the group. He shared highlights of his journey from studying cello performance, playing the cello, to making violins after attending a violin making school in Salt Lake City.

He opened his shop in 1984 with another violin maker from Oregon who was looking to expand his operations to Houston. Eventually he bought out his partner’s share and moved the shop to its current location in the Rice Village. Over the years, he trained his son with all aspects of violin repairs and fine instrument making, who now works with him at Amati.

The group got to observe various types of violins and cellos, while Peter shared information of the types of woods used (spruce for the top and maple for the back and ribs), and explained the nuances of proper setup of new instruments – a time-consuming process that could sometimes take days, which include incorporating new bridges, fingerboards, and sound posts. Then, he led the group to his studio where he showed violins at different stages of their development and the tools used at each phase.

While answering various questions from the group, he made a mention of the Pernambuco wood used in making bows, which is found only in Brazil and listed as endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Brazilian authorities recently explored possibilities for upgrading Pernambuco’s protection. If it had passed, it could have created significant administrative burdens for musicians when crossing borders as it would have required acquisition of special permits.

 

The conservation studio at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is tucked away from the public eye, a quiet space where the air seems to move more slowly. The sound of footsteps softens here, replaced by the gentle hum of machines and the low murmur of conversation.

Art lives many lives, and this is one of them. The one that happens after and before the applause, when the work of preservation begins.

Inside the Room Where Time Pauses

The studio cares for more than eighty thousand objects including paintings and sculptures, ceremonial pieces, and the kinds of things once touched, used, or prayed before. Twenty-one conservators move through this space. Their task is not to change what they see, but to understand it, to keep it alive without remaking it.

Per Knutas, head of conservation at MFAH, told us that conservation begins the moment an artwork arrives and continues for as long as it exists. It is never complete, only ongoing. Every piece carries its own story: where it has lived, what air it has breathed, what hands have held it. Some come from homes bright with sunlight, others from basements or archives where the air was still. All of that life leaves a trace, and each trace demands care.

The Conversation Between Art and Science

The studio feels part laboratory, part temple. There are microscopes, X-ray fluorescence instruments, and tools that can peer beneath layers of pigment to reveal the bones of an image. Yet, for all the science involved, the work remains deeply human. It requires instinct, restraint, and empathy.

Knutas showed us a pichwai painting in progress, its blues and saffrons depicting scenes from Krishna’s life.
“We are very careful with materials,” he said. “For religious works, we avoid things like gelatin, which can come from animal bone.”

Every Object Has Its Own Breath

No two restorations are ever the same. Each object has its own chemistry, its own vulnerabilities, its own response to touch and time. The conservators choose materials that can be reversed, ensuring that nothing they add will outlast what already exists. Every repair is a dialogue with the future. An understanding that one day, another conservator will come and continue the conversation.

Knutas also spoke about the challenge of preserving modern and contemporary works. Many of today’s materials were never meant to last. Plastics, industrial paints, and experimental surfaces resist preservation, yet they belong to the story of this moment in history. The goal is not permanence but understanding, to slow time rather than fight it.

The Ones Who Honor

When I left the studio, I found myself thinking differently about what it means to see art. Every brushstroke, every pigment, every fragile edge has passed through the hands of those who protect it. Without them, our understanding of beauty and history would fade.

They are the keepers of what remains. The ones who document, who tend, who honor. Their work is patient and uncelebrated, yet it is what allows art to continue breathing across generations.

And as I watched them, surrounded by centuries of color and quiet, I realized that the act of care might be the most enduring art of all.

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See more about the MFAH Art Conservation studio field trip here.

 

LongitudeSite organized a field trip to the art conservation studios at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston on October 14, 2025.

(See a reel of highlights and reflections by Lipi Gandhi.)

The group included students from Rice University, University of St Thomas, and Houston Community College majoring in various fields, including art history, biology, religion, and business, as well as a professor of finance from St Thomas and Ipek Martinez from LongitudeSite.

Featured left to right: Katherine Citino, Helen Citino, Lipi Gandhi, Shelby Unkefer, Evalyn Navarro, Per Knutas, Ipek Martinez, Sidika Gulfem Bayram.

Everyone who participated had a common interest: to learn about the art conservation process and gain a deeper understanding of activities behind the scenes at the MFAH. Mr. Per Knutas, Chairman of Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation, led the group through the studios while sharing an overview of the conservation activities, their purpose, and the types of objects they handle.

The studio has 80,000 objects to care for, including paintings, sculptures, and functional objects. The conservation process involves preventative care, active conservation, and research. The studio employs 21 people and has a diverse collection, including items from various cultures and time periods.

Knutas discussed the challenges of preserving modern and contemporary art, the importance of cultural sensitivity, and the use of advanced technologies like X-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy for authentication of artworks and understanding the materials used in them.

The studio maintains detailed records for each object, including condition reports and research notes. There are expansion plans soon to continue its mission of preserving cultural heritage and making it accessible to future generations.