Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our new blog series, From the Vault! Every week, we’re sharing interesting stories about one of our artefacts. What is the provenance of this pair? When did they enter the BSM collection? This pair of shoes dates to the early 18th century, likely 1725-40. They are possibly […]
Creating “The Great Divide”: Insight into the artefact selection process
Our Senior Curator, Elizabeth, has always said that curating is an exercise in restriction. We might have many artefacts to choose from when putting an exhibition together, but we are constrained by the physical space of the gallery, a desire not to overwhelm visitors with too many shoes, and with the goal to tell a […]
Shoe Business: Nasser Vies Shoes
We are checking in with our friends in local shoe-related businesses to find out how they got interested in shoes (or socks!), where the journey running a niche business has taken them, and what the future holds in a post COVID19 world. How did you get interested in shoemaking? When did you start your company […]
From the Vault: Korean namakshin
Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our new blog series, From the Vault! Every week, we’re sharing interesting stories about one of our artefacts. What is the provenance of this pair? When did they enter the BSM collection? This single Korean namakshin came into the collection in 2011. They were acquired from a […]
20 Artefacts from the Bata Shoe Musuem that aren’t shoes!
We’ve have put together a list of 20 artefacts you might not expect to find in a shoe museum. The BSM’s collection of 13,000 artefacts obviously contains a large number of shoes, however, we also collect, own and display various other items that may take you by surprise. 1) Roger Vivier Sketches The museum has […]
Shoe Business: Q&A with Mack House Inc.
We are checking in with our friends in shoe-related businesses to find out how they got interested in shoes, where the journey running a niche business has taken them, and what the future holds in a post COVID-19 world. AS ANSWERED BY JESS, Studio Director at Mack Tell me about Mack House. How did the […]
Chinese Children’s Booties: Taming the Tangles
One of the challenges of working with the BSM’s diverse collection is preparing shoes for long term storage since each style has its own inherent design issues. The museum acquired a collection of Chinese children’s booties with tassels that presented just such a challenge. These boots are made of silk satin with a cotton or […]
Upon Arrival: The Workspace
The first Collections Management blog in this series walked you through the process of a new acquisition coming into the museum and discussed how much care we take in the shipping, receiving and unpacking of new acquisitions. Now that the item is in the building and it is being tracked through its registration number, the […]
Q&A with BSM’s Curatorial Team
Get the inside scoop on how the BSM curatorial team put together The Great Divide: Footwear in the Age of Enlightenment. From the research process and choosing artefacts to exhibition design and acquiring loans! 1) How long is the planning process for an exhibition? The planning process for an exhibition can take between 1-3 years, […]
Conservation Blog: Monkey Business
In 1986 the BSM acquired at auction an automaton made in the 1880s at the famous Phalibois workshop in Paris, France. It features a monkey cobbler sitting at his workbench under a flowering tree. This artefact was selected for our previous exhibition, Fashion Victims: The Pleasures and Perils of Dress in the 19thCentury, thus providing […]