By Madison Butkus
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library, the Needham Free Public Library (NFPL) shared an online event titled “A Virtual Tour of the Bata Shoe Museum (BSM).” The BSM is located in Toronto, Canada and is the only museum in North America dedicated to footwear.
Coordinator of Public Programming for the BSM, Shan Fernando, was streaming live from inside the BSM to give all virtual attendees a tour of their facility. On this tour, Fernando showcased four different exhibitions currently being presented: All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages, Dressed To Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980s, Exhibit A: Investigating Crime and Footwear, and In Bloom: Flowers and Footwear.
Before starting the tour, Fernando stated some of the history about the museum itself. “Our story begins many, many, many years ago,” he explained, “with a woman named Sonja Bata. Sonja married Thomas Bata and he and his family were shoemakers. They made shoes all over the world and you can still find Bata shoes all over the world. Interestly enough not in North America but other parts of the world for sure. And while they were opening up factories and shoe shops, Sonja was going and buying local footwear and talking with the local people about these shoes. She wanted to find out why they constructed their shoes that way and how they wear them. And that is one thing that really connects almost the entire world: footwear. So with that knowledge that she was acquiring, she was buying and collecting, and before she knew it she had over 1,000 pairs of shoes. Whenever her friends came over, she would present the shoes to them, very proud of her collection. And they suggested to her that she should open a museum. So in the ‘70s she opened the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation, and then in the ‘90s, she actually opened up the Bata Shoe Museum as a physical location.”
The tour began in the All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages exhibit in which Fernando discussed how footwear started and advanced over the years. Here he showed a copy of the first steps ever recorded in Tanzania by a woman named Lucy and her daughter. He additionally showcased some of the oldest pieces in the collection that were from Ancient Egypt, as well as footwear from India, Africa, China and Europe.
From here, Fernando moved onto the Dressed To Impress: Footwear and Consumerism in the 1980s exhibition which resembled a shopping mall. Within this exhibit, four display windows were set up to further resemble the mall experience: Dressed for Success, Let’s Get Physical, Mainstream Rebels, and Pump It Up. Fernando explained that Dressed for Success depicted shoes that women and men were supposed to wear in order to impress a boss and such. Let’s Get Physical was inspired by Olivia Newton John and included ‘80s running shoes from brands like Nike and Reebok. Mainstream rebels showcased shoes that were more punk-rockish in the ‘80s including Maud Frizon boots. Pump It Up included basketball shoes like the first pair of Air Jordans, Pony Shoes, British Knights, and even a pair of basketball-inspired heels.
The next exhibit Fernando took attendees through was their newest one, Exhibit A: Investigating Crime and Footwear. Here Fernando showed an array of shoes that revolved around crime including spectator shoes and gum shoes. He also revealed a burglary kit made by the criminal Flatter Foot and an army shoe prototype that was intended for soldiers in the Vietnam War.
The fourth and final exhibit Fernando walked through was In Bloom: Flowers and Footwear. This exhibition was intended to give attendees the feel of walking through a night garden. All of the shoes included within were based on a certain flower or botanical element. There were hand painted Jordan’s focused around peonies, Manchu platform shoes inspired by a flower pot and custom Louis Vuitton shoes with hydrangeas in them that were picked right out of his yard.
With over 4,500 years of history and nearly 15,000 artifacts in its collection, Fernando was not able to show everything in the BSM but rather some of its incredible highlights and staple pieces. The exhibits found within do change regularly and they each display more than just shoes.
As the tour came to an end, Fernando went on to answer a handful of questions and was extremely knowledgeable throughout. Virtual attendees sent praise to Fernando stating things like “So appreciative of Shan’s expertise and enthusiasm throughout this tour!” and “Way entertaining and informative tour. Thanks!”.
For more information about the BSM and their current exhibitions, please visit their website at www.batashoemuseum.ca.
