Last year the BSM received funding to support an online exhibition about the history of figure skating. This project was managed by the BSM’s Collections Manager Suzanne Petersen. In the late spring of 2021 she went through all the skates in the BSM collection to determine which ones would best tell the story. Once her […]
Update from the Conservation Lab
The artefact collection of the BSM continues to grow through donations and purchases. For the past ten years we having been struggling with diminishing storage space along with the need to store items made of modern materials in an appropriate environment. The original architectural plan for the museum included the design of a potential third […]
From the Vault: Lace Up Sneakers
Take a peek into our nearly 15,000 collection with our blog series, From the Vault! Every other week, we share interesting stories about one of our artefacts. What is the provenance of this pair? When did they enter the BSM collection? These low-cut, lace-up sneakers would have been worn for a variety of athletic and […]
Caring for Your Vintage Shoes
People frequently ask for advice on how to care for their vintage shoes at home. As a conservator, I’m reluctant to make recommendations sight unseen. Footwear is made of so many different materials and suggesting a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution is impossible. Conditions can vary greatly which informs how best to care for them. Leather can exhibit […]
Walking Through Winter
By Creative Director & Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack This winter has been one full of more than the average amount of ice and snow here in Toronto. However, difficult winters are nothing new. Indeed snow is a perennial challenge across the globe and navigating through it has been dealt with in ingenious ways by different […]
Cinderella – The Glass Slipper Debate!
One of the last things you see before you leave the Bata Shoe Museum is a comment and suggestion box where we encourage people to share their thoughts on the things they’ve seen during their visit. One comment which we see on a regular basis relates to an area in our All About Shoes exhibition […]
Step into the Footwear of Royalty
By Creative Director & Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack Associations between footwear and royalty are long standing. One of the most famous ancient Egyptian artifacts, The Narmer Palette from around 3100 B.C.E, depicts a barefoot pharaoh slaying an enemy of Egypt while his sandal bearer waits in the background holding his royal footwear. Sandal bearers in […]
From the Vault: Lancashire Clogs
Take a peek into our 14,000+ collection with our new blog series, From the Vault! Every other 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 entered the collection in 1980. They were acquired in an antique shop […]
New Acquisitions: how we acquire objects and update our collections
At the Bata Shoe Museum, we are always collecting new artefacts. We have over 14,000 objects in our archives, and this number continues to grow. One of the most common questions we are asked by visitors is where do we get our shoes from? Most museum collecting begins with a colleting mandate, which is essentially […]
Ask a Curator with Elizabeth
Last month, our curatorial team participated in the global event, #AskaCurator. In case you missed it, here’s our Creative Director & Senior Curator, Elizabeth, answering some of your questions. As John Fluevog is celebrating his 50th anniversary this year, what would you say his impact has been on Canadian and global shoe design? John Fluevog’s […]