Lets Get Physical: 80s Aerobics Dance Class
Come take part in an 80s inspired aerobics dance class in the Bata Shoe Museum!
What's On 2024
Exhibit A Paint Night
One-of-a-kind paint night with Bata Shoe Museum graphic designer Gus Aguirre
Glad Day Storytime at the BSM
Celebrate Pride with the BSM and Glad Day Bookshop!
The Shoe Detective Academy
Join us throughout the summer for our exciting new Shoe Detective Academy!
Exhibit A
Sleuth out the complex role of footwear in crime, policing, and the judiciary.
Dressed To Impress
Take a step back to the 1980s and experience the nostalgia and excess of the times. Now on view.
In Bloom
A celebration of how nature has provided meaning and material for shoemaking across both time and place.
All About Shoes
Take a walk through the the fascinating history of footwear.
Follow Us @batashoemuseum
We are excited to announce that a pair of @bhytes` shoes have been inducted into our permanent collection! 🤩👠
These eye-catching sandals were donated to the museum by drag superstar and ballet dancer Brooke Lynn Heights. Brooke was the first Canadian to compete on RuPaul’s Drag Race (@rupaulsdragrace), finishing as the first runner up during the eleventh season of the hit TV show. Currently, Brooke is host of Canada’s Drag Race (@canadasdragrace), and stars in the talk show, 1 Queen, 5 Queers (@1queen5queers). Brooke purchased these shoes because of their tall and striking heels, and hand-embellished them with glittering studs and rhinestones.
On view now in our Behind the Scenes gallery 👠
Inspired by our latest exhibition, "Exhibit A: Investigating Crime and Footwear", we’re excited to offer a unique paint night on Wednesday, July 17 with artist and Bata Shoe Museum graphic designer Gus Aguirre 🎨🖌️ In this 3-hour, in-person workshop, participants will be guided through the process of painting images inspired by the themes of crime and mystery. Purchase your tickets on our website 🎟️
On view in our “In Bloom: Flowers & Footwear” exhibition, we collaborated with three Indigenous guest curators including anthropologist Linda Sioui, beadwork artist and curator Paula Menarick, and Camina Weasel Moccasin, curator from the Galt Museum & Archives in Alberta who generously shared their expertise on a selection of floral moccasins. #NationalIndigenousPeoplesDay
Image 1: Niitsitapii (Blackfoot), c 1880 - 1920
Image 2: Possibly Cree, c. 1840-1910
Image 3: Huron-Wendat, c. 1820-50
Celebrate Pride with the BSM and Glad Day Bookshop! 🏳️🌈 On Sunday June 16th and 23rd, special guest Tianna Henry from @gladdaybookshop will join us and read a children’s book to our guests with themes of inclusivity and diversity. 📚
Note: Readings will take place at 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm. Drop-in, no registration required.
Converse released these ‘Run Star Motion Platform Pride’ sneakers in 2022 in celebration of Pride month. Commemorated in many cities across the world every June, Pride month is a joyous celebration of LGBTQ2+ communities, promoting the inclusion and acceptance of a huge variety of gender and sexual identities. Pride marches began after the 1969 New York City Stonewall Riots and highlighted the long history of discrimination and abuse often faced by LGBTQ2+ people. Part celebration and part activism, Pride marches and events continue to offer spaces of acceptance to members of queer and trans communities, while calling attention to how much further society has to go to grant equal rights to all people.
In the past few years, an increasing number of brands have released pride-themed merchandise each summer. This has led to criticism that these companies are profiting off LGBTQ2+ communities without supporting laws and policies that actually work towards structural equality. In response, some of these companies have donated money to Pride-related causes, or had their merchandise created by designers who are members of the LGBTQ2+ community. Debates continue about how ethical it is that brands release pride merchandise and questions have been raised about who ultimately profits.
Converse has released a pride collection every year since 2014 in collaboration with their companies’ LGBTQ2+ network. This pair features chunky soles that match the rainbow flag – a symbol of Pride.
American, 2022.
Channel your inner Jane Fonda at our 80s inspired aerobics classes this summer on Sunday July 14 and Sunday August 18.
Join us for one of our high-energy group classes featuring the best music, moves and of course fitness fashion, of the 1980s. Led by Choreographer, Educator, and Dancer Melissa Bartrem, this adult dancercise class is designed for those all skill levels.
Purchase your tickets on our website.
The word ‘sneaker’ was used in the 19th century in both England and the US to describe criminals and others of ill repute. However, in the US, the term sneaker was also used for rubber-soled athletic footwear because the soles allowed wearers to walk around noiselessly. A rather curious interview in a news article from 1887 quoted Chicago mugger Patrick Kent, recommending that if one wished to be a successful criminal, “you must wear rubber shoes, then you can sneak up when [a victim’s] back is turned.”
Perfection high tops, American, early 20th century
On view in our new exhibition "Exhibit A: Investigating Crime and Footwear"
Sponsored by @blogTO @classicalfm @nowtoronto @zoomer_radio @jazzfm91
This pair of Ottoman nalin was designed for wear in a Turkish bathhouse to keep female bathers elevated above the heated floors. Many of the shoes were decorated with mother-of-pearl inlays; this pair features elaborate inlay florals. Stilted wooden bathhouse clogs can be traced to ancient Rome, when their use was spread across the Maghreb and parts of Western Asia.
Turkish, 19th to early 20th century.
See these shoes on display in our In Bloom exhibition.
