Event Details

The Bata Shoe Museum was incorporated in 1979 to professionally manage Sonja Bata’s extensive shoe collection and to create a centre of knowledge about the role of footwear in the social and cultural life of mankind. The Museum, a 39,000-square foot facility designed by Moriyama and Teshima, opened in 1995 and is recognized as the largest facility dedicated to shoes in the world. While it is a museum dedicated to serious scholarship and exhibition it is also a unique cultural tourism destination for Toronto and Ontario.

The Bata Shoe Museum (BSM) was incorporated in 1979 to professionally manage Sonja Bata’s extensive shoe collection and to create a centre of knowledge about the role of footwear in the social and cultural life of mankind. The Museum, a 39,000-square foot facility designed by Moriyama and Teshima, opened in 1995 and is recognized as the largest facility dedicated to shoes in the world. While it is a museum dedicated to serious scholarship and exhibition it is also a unique cultural tourism destination for Toronto and Ontario.

This application is for “Bata Shoe Museum 30th Anniversary”, a year-long celebration taking place May 6, 2025, to May 6, 2026, at their Bloor Street facility in downtown Toronto. The 30th Anniversary and year-long celebration presents a special opportunity for the BSM to attract international visitors while also engaging regional and local communities. Programming will include:

1. Three new exhibitions:

(A) “Rough and Ready: The True History of Cowboy Boots” (May 2025 – September 2026); This original exhibition will look at the history, beauty and cultural meanings of the North American cowboy boot from its inception to its use today. Ancillary programming includes: (i) Community Weekend / 30th Birthday Party; (ii) book launch of the ‘Rough and Ready: The True History of Cowboy Boots book’; (iii) Country Music Trivia; (iv) Line Dance Class; (v) Panel Talk/Presentation to explore the themes in presented in Rough and Ready; (vi) “Steers and Queers Hoedown” (Cowboys and Queer Culture come together in celebration for a Pride event at the BSM). The exhibition will also include Indigenous programming including; (i) a Residential School Survivor Lecture; (ii) Indigenous Dance Presentations; (iii) and an Indigenous Walking Tour with Ontario Earth Helpers;

(B) “André Perugia: Exploring the Avant Garde (title tbc)” (October 2025 to March 2027); Currently under development, this exhibition will focus on the creative work of French shoe designer André Perugia (1903 to 1977). He is known for experimenting with unconventional materials and creating Avant Garde designs;

(C) “Footsteps through Time: Roman Footwear from Vindolanda (title tbc)” (April 2026 to September 2027); This exhibition will focus on the ancient Roman footwear worn by Roman soldiers and their families. Working in collaboration with the Vindolanda Trust, the organization in charge of the active excavation of the fort site, this exhibition will feature examples of the 5,000 shoes they have excavated to tell the story of life on the frontier in Roman times.

2. Ancillary Programming: (i) Unveiling of the “30th Anniversary Retrospective Mural” including the original exhibition posters from each exhibition throughout the last 30 years; (ii) 30 days of guided tours: Scheduled throughout the year, the BSM will offer a free general museum tour and include information about the founding of the museum; (iii) “Step Through 30 Years”: Favourite programming initiatives from the past 30 years would be incorporated into the programming schedule during 2025 including slipper making workshops, paint your shoes, shoe pin workshop; (iv) Panel talk with Christine Bata Schmidt: Daughter of the founder, Sonja Bata, Christine Bata Schmidt will discuss how the museum got started, and the history of how Sonja Bata’s collection grew and was turned into a museum; (v) Behind the Scenes Rotation of Past Exhibitions: Behind the Scenes is a dedicates area of the museum showcasing artifacts from the collection focused on an overall narrative or that are rarely seen in an exhibition.

3. Existing exhibitions open during this time include “Exhibit A: Investigating Crime and Footwear” (April 2024 to September 2025); and “Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists” (October 2024 to March 2026).

4. Ongoing and current programming includes activities such as Mother’s Day programming, March Break programming, shoe customization workshops, Moccasin beading workshops, Lunar New Year programming, Free Sundays, Film festivals, participation in Doors Open and hands-on programming, as well as the permanent exhibition All About Shoes.