Bata Shoe Museum
Encyclopedia
The Bata Shoe Museum is a museum
in downtown Toronto
, Canada
that collects, researches, preserves, and exhibits footwear
from around the world. It offers four exhibitions, three of which are time-limited, as well as lectures, performances and family events.
of the Bata Shoe Company
, she gradually built up a collection of traditional footwear from the areas she was visiting. In 1979 the Bata family established the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation to operate an international centre for footwear research and house the collection. From 1979 to 1985 the collection was on display at the offices of Bata Limited in the Don Mills
area of Toronto. In June 1992, the Bata Shoe Museum was moved to the second floor of the Colonnade, an office and retail complex in downtown Toronto, where it remained until November 1994. On 6 May 1995 the expanded museum opened its doors to the public in its own building.
and completed in 1995, the structure sits on the southwest corner of Bloor and St. George Streets in downtown Toronto. Its form is derived from the idea of the museum as a container. Taking this further and associating it with footwear, Moriyama stated that the building is meant to evoke an opening shoe box, realised in a somewhat deconstructivist
form with its canted walls and its copper
-clad roof offset from the walls of the building below in an interesting play of volume and void. The main facade (north) along Bloor Street pinches inward to where the entrance, in the form of a glass shard, emerges, creating a more generous forecourt
. This glass protrusion is one end of a multi-level 'cut' through the building which contains the main vertical circulation, providing a clear view through the building to the three-story faceted glass wall, designed by Lutz Haufschild, on the south facade. The entire stone volume appears to float above a ribbon of glass display windows on street level, and its vast expanse of limestone glows in the late afternoon sunlight.
Raymond Moriyama, was asked by his client Sonja Bata to create a “small gem of a museum” to house her extensive shoe collection. After viewing the shoes that Sonja Bata has collected, Moriyama strove to create a building that emulated the excitement that he felt when first viewing the collection. He wanted to create a museum that would endure time, and inspire its visitors. Mr. Moriyama explained: “when I first viewed the collection, I was impressed by the array of shoe boxes that protected the shoes from light, moisture, and dust and played an important role in the collection.” His focus on the idea of a container or shoebox was the driving force behind his design. When looking at the museum from the street, it is quite easy to see that its proportions are similar to those of a regular shoebox. The bold roof of the museum is suggestive of a lid, and from the street below it looks as if it is resting on top of an open container. The roof is made of copper that will oxidize and over time will become a more pronounced part of the museum.
Raymond Moriyama said of the edifice: "Architecture is never the creation of the architect alone. The museum's architecture should be seen as a celebration not only of shoes but also of the wonderful vision that brought them into the public eye."
The Bata Shoe Museum was featured in an episode of The Amazing Race: Family Edition
, for which the contestants were in Toronto. Teams had to choose a pair of shoes, and find the woman who fit the selected pair amongst 100 candidates.
and leather
(an important material in shoe creation for centuries) are used in signage throughout the museum. The museum is divided into 4 main exhibits: All about Shoes, Innuit Boots: A Woman’s Art, The Gentle Step: 19th Century Women’s Shoes, and One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: Illustrations from Contemporary Children’s Books and Shoes.
At present, the permanent collection contains artifacts from virtually every culture in the world. One of the most important aspects of the museum's holdings is an extensive collection of Native American and circumpolar footwear. The museum's assortment of celebrity footwear is a popular attraction; it includes ballroom slippers worn by Queen Victoria, the monogrammed silver platform boots of Elton John
, a Terry Fox
running shoe, blue patent loafers of Elvis Presley
, John Lennon
's Beatle boot and Pablo Picasso
's zebra striped boot.
The museum usually houses four exhibitions, one semi-permanent and three time-limited and changing. The semi-permanent exhibition, All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages, features diverse footwear from many historical periods and geographic areas, and looks at its significance in various cultural practices and phases of life. The three changing exhibitions are usually on display for one to two years, and may focus on a specific time period, cultural group, geographic area, or an aspect of material culture. The footwear on display, often remarkable for its construction and/or embellishment, also acts as a key to understanding its times, and illustrates social and cultural developments.Current exhibits include All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages (semi-permanent); Beauty, Identity, Pride: Native North American Footwear (closing date TBA); On a Pedestal: From Renaissance Chopines to Baroque Heels(closing September 20, 2010); Socks: Between You and Your Shoes (closing date TBA). Previous exhibitions have included: The Perfect Pair: Wedding
Shoe Stories (2002–2004), Paths Across the Plains: North American
Footwear of the Great Plains
(2004–2005), Icons of Elegance: Influential Shoe Designers of the 20th century (2005–2007), Watched by Heaven, Tied to Earth: Summoning Animal Protection for Chinese
Children (2006–2007), and The Charm of Rococo
: Femininity and Footwear of the 18th century (2006–2008). Many of these past exhibits can still be seen in the museum's online presentation All About Shoes.
The Bata Shoe Museum Foundation has funded field trips to collect and research footwear in Asia
, Europe
, and circumpolar regions and cultures where traditions are changing rapidly (Siberia
, Alaska
, Greenland
, the Canadian Inuit
and the Saami people
). The foundation has also produced academic publications, many of which are available online or in the museum's store.
The museum organizes lectures, performances, and social evenings, often with an ethnocultural focus or community partner. A representative activity is 'Til 10 at the BSM, an event which keeps the museum open late into the evening, featuring a 'Til 10 lounge, cocktails, and a piece of performance art is showcased by a local artist. Events often illuminate a personal connection or a cultural context in which footwear was created; for example, "In the Shoes of an Elizabethan Lady: The Passions and Scandals of Frances Walsingham
" (2007) featured a curator's lecture and short concert of period music followed by an exhibition viewing. In 2010 the Museum hosts two lecture series — the "On a Pedestal" exhibition inspired a Renaissance lecture series and the ongoing Discovering Treasure lecture series. Themed family activities have included Family Fun Weekends, as well as special events featuring storytelling, music, arts and crafts, and trying on unusual and funky shoes. The museum holds an annual "Warm the Sole Sock Drive" fundraiser, which begins on World Kindness Day
, to collect socks for donation to a local charity.
The museum is affiliated with CMA
, CHIN
, Virtual Museum of Canada
, Ontario Association of Art Galleries, and North American Reciprocal Museums.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in downtown Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that collects, researches, preserves, and exhibits footwear
Footwear
Footwear consists of garments worn on the feet, for fashion, protection against the environment, and adornment. Being barefoot is commonly associated with poverty, but some cultures chose not to wear footwear at least in some situations....
from around the world. It offers four exhibitions, three of which are time-limited, as well as lectures, performances and family events.
History
The collection which became the Bata Shoe Museum originated with Sonja Bata in the 1940s. As she travelled the world on business with her husband, Thomas J. BataThomas J. Bata
Tomáš Jan Baťa, , also known as Tomas Bata Jr. and Tomáš Baťa ml. and "Shoemaker to the World", ran the Bata Shoe Company from the 1940s until the '80s. His last name pronounce baht-ya....
of the Bata Shoe Company
Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production...
, she gradually built up a collection of traditional footwear from the areas she was visiting. In 1979 the Bata family established the Bata Shoe Museum Foundation to operate an international centre for footwear research and house the collection. From 1979 to 1985 the collection was on display at the offices of Bata Limited in the Don Mills
Don Mills
Don Mills is a mixed-use neighbourhood in the North York district of Toronto, Canada. It was developed to be a self-supporting "new town" and was at the time located outside of Toronto proper. Consisting of residential, commercial and industrial sub-districts, it was planned and developed by...
area of Toronto. In June 1992, the Bata Shoe Museum was moved to the second floor of the Colonnade, an office and retail complex in downtown Toronto, where it remained until November 1994. On 6 May 1995 the expanded museum opened its doors to the public in its own building.
Building
Designed by Raymond MoriyamaRaymond Moriyama
Raymond Moriyama, CC, O.Ont is a Japanese-Canadian architect. He has designed several buildings at Brock University from the 1970s through the latest campus expansion and is the University's former chancellor....
and completed in 1995, the structure sits on the southwest corner of Bloor and St. George Streets in downtown Toronto. Its form is derived from the idea of the museum as a container. Taking this further and associating it with footwear, Moriyama stated that the building is meant to evoke an opening shoe box, realised in a somewhat deconstructivist
Deconstructivism
Deconstructivism is a development of postmodern architecture that began in the late 1980s. It is characterized by ideas of fragmentation, an interest in manipulating ideas of a structure's surface or skin, non-rectilinear shapes which serve to distort and dislocate some of the elements of...
form with its canted walls and its copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
-clad roof offset from the walls of the building below in an interesting play of volume and void. The main facade (north) along Bloor Street pinches inward to where the entrance, in the form of a glass shard, emerges, creating a more generous forecourt
Forecourt
In architecture a forecourt is an open area in front of a structure's entrance.In archaeology, forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb...
. This glass protrusion is one end of a multi-level 'cut' through the building which contains the main vertical circulation, providing a clear view through the building to the three-story faceted glass wall, designed by Lutz Haufschild, on the south facade. The entire stone volume appears to float above a ribbon of glass display windows on street level, and its vast expanse of limestone glows in the late afternoon sunlight.
Raymond Moriyama said of the edifice: "Architecture is never the creation of the architect alone. The museum's architecture should be seen as a celebration not only of shoes but also of the wonderful vision that brought them into the public eye."
The Bata Shoe Museum was featured in an episode of The Amazing Race: Family Edition
The Amazing Race 8
The Amazing Race 8 is the eighth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race...
, for which the contestants were in Toronto. Teams had to choose a pair of shoes, and find the woman who fit the selected pair amongst 100 candidates.
Galleries and collections
The museum is home to the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of shoes and footwear-related artifacts. The publicly-accessible part of the building consists of four stories, which contain four galleries, two lecture and multi-purpose rooms, a gift shop, and a lobby, as well as offices and conservation facilities. The museum was designed to follow a circulation core where towards the east lies the exhibition galleries, towards the west are the gift shops, multipurpose rooms, special exhibition showcases and rooms, and the administrative desk. An enclosed courtyard runs across the south side of the building, this courtyard creates an enriched experience when visiting the museum. There are two lower levels dedicated to an exhibition gallery and the shoe research and storage room. Typical of most museums, the gallery spaces are neutral in design, allowing focus on the creative displays, not the building itself. However, traditional materials such as cast bronzeBronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
and leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
(an important material in shoe creation for centuries) are used in signage throughout the museum. The museum is divided into 4 main exhibits: All about Shoes, Innuit Boots: A Woman’s Art, The Gentle Step: 19th Century Women’s Shoes, and One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: Illustrations from Contemporary Children’s Books and Shoes.
At present, the permanent collection contains artifacts from virtually every culture in the world. One of the most important aspects of the museum's holdings is an extensive collection of Native American and circumpolar footwear. The museum's assortment of celebrity footwear is a popular attraction; it includes ballroom slippers worn by Queen Victoria, the monogrammed silver platform boots of Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, a Terry Fox
Terry Fox
Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox , was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research...
running shoe, blue patent loafers of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's Beatle boot and Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
's zebra striped boot.
The museum usually houses four exhibitions, one semi-permanent and three time-limited and changing. The semi-permanent exhibition, All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages, features diverse footwear from many historical periods and geographic areas, and looks at its significance in various cultural practices and phases of life. The three changing exhibitions are usually on display for one to two years, and may focus on a specific time period, cultural group, geographic area, or an aspect of material culture. The footwear on display, often remarkable for its construction and/or embellishment, also acts as a key to understanding its times, and illustrates social and cultural developments.Current exhibits include All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages (semi-permanent); Beauty, Identity, Pride: Native North American Footwear (closing date TBA); On a Pedestal: From Renaissance Chopines to Baroque Heels(closing September 20, 2010); Socks: Between You and Your Shoes (closing date TBA). Previous exhibitions have included: The Perfect Pair: Wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
Shoe Stories (2002–2004), Paths Across the Plains: North American
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
Footwear of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
(2004–2005), Icons of Elegance: Influential Shoe Designers of the 20th century (2005–2007), Watched by Heaven, Tied to Earth: Summoning Animal Protection for Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Children (2006–2007), and The Charm of Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
: Femininity and Footwear of the 18th century (2006–2008). Many of these past exhibits can still be seen in the museum's online presentation All About Shoes.
Research and programs
The Bata Shoe Museum conducts and sponsors research into understanding of the role of footwear in the social and cultural life of humanity. Through acquiring, conserving, researching, communication and exhibiting material evidence related to the history of footwear and shoemaking, the museum illustrates the living habits, the culture and the customs of people. Its international collection of over 12,500 artifacts spans 4,500 years of history.The Bata Shoe Museum Foundation has funded field trips to collect and research footwear in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and circumpolar regions and cultures where traditions are changing rapidly (Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, the Canadian Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
and the Saami people
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
). The foundation has also produced academic publications, many of which are available online or in the museum's store.
The museum organizes lectures, performances, and social evenings, often with an ethnocultural focus or community partner. A representative activity is 'Til 10 at the BSM, an event which keeps the museum open late into the evening, featuring a 'Til 10 lounge, cocktails, and a piece of performance art is showcased by a local artist. Events often illuminate a personal connection or a cultural context in which footwear was created; for example, "In the Shoes of an Elizabethan Lady: The Passions and Scandals of Frances Walsingham
Frances Walsingham
Frances Walsingham, Countess of Essex and Countess of Clanricarde was an English noblewoman. The daughter of Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I's Secretary of State, she became the wife of Sir Philip Sidney at age 14. Her second husband was Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, Queen Elizabeth's...
" (2007) featured a curator's lecture and short concert of period music followed by an exhibition viewing. In 2010 the Museum hosts two lecture series — the "On a Pedestal" exhibition inspired a Renaissance lecture series and the ongoing Discovering Treasure lecture series. Themed family activities have included Family Fun Weekends, as well as special events featuring storytelling, music, arts and crafts, and trying on unusual and funky shoes. The museum holds an annual "Warm the Sole Sock Drive" fundraiser, which begins on World Kindness Day
World Kindness Day
World Kindness Day is 13 November. It was introduced in 1998 by the It is observed in many countries, including Canada, Japan, Australia, Nigeria and United Arab Emirates. In 2009, Singapore observed the day for the first time. Italy and India also observed the day. In the UK it is fronted by...
, to collect socks for donation to a local charity.
The museum is affiliated with CMA
Canadian Museums Association
The Canadian Museums Association is a national organization for the promotion of museums in Canada.The Canadian Museums Association is the national organization for the advancement of the Canadian museum sector, representing Canadian museum professionals both within Canada and internationally. The...
, CHIN
Canadian Heritage Information Network
The Canadian Heritage Information Network is a Canadian government-supported organization that provides a networked interface to Canada's heritage, largely through the World Wide Web. It aims to give access to Canada's heritage for both Canadians and a worldwide audience, by supporting the...
, Virtual Museum of Canada
Virtual Museum of Canada
The Virtual Museum of Canada is Canada's national virtual museum. With a directory of over 3,000 Canadian heritage institutions and a database of over 600 virtual exhibits, the VMC brings together Canada's museums regardless of size or geographical location.The VMC includes virtual exhibits,...
, Ontario Association of Art Galleries, and North American Reciprocal Museums.