Bata Shoe Museum - Galleries and Collections

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 bronze 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.