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 clear and concise story. Sometimes, we are also limited by the selection of artefacts in our permanent collection. Even though the BSM has a collection of 14,000 shoes and footwear-related objects, we do have gaps when it comes to footwear from a particular time period, region or style. This was the case when we put together The Great Divide, our 18th century exhibition, so we employed three strategies to ‘fill in the gaps’ when we didn’t have the right artefacts to tell our stories.

One of the first challenges we encountered when putting together our artefact list for The Great Divide was that we are very limited in the number of men’s footwear that we have from the 18th century. Until very recently, there existed a gender bias in saving and collecting fashion. The emphasis was placed on women’s fashion, and menswear was not valued and saved. As a result, it is difficult to find many examples of men’s shoes in museums and archives.

In addition to men’s footwear, it is difficult to find examples of middling and working-class footwear. The everyday footwear for the majority of people has not been historically preserved. It is possible that these shoes were not considered special, beautiful, or of any sentimental value, and were therefore not kept over generations. It is also very likely that these shoes were completely worn through, and thrown away after use. As a result, our 18th century collection contains mostly upper-middle and upper class footwear.

There are a number of strategies that we used in our 18th century exhibition when we wanted to fill these collecting gaps, and tell stories of people whose footwear is no longer extant. Firstly, we reached out to other museums for loans. We were not able to find men’s footwear that we could borrow for the 18-month duration of the exhibit, but we reached out to the Gardiner Museum and we were able to borrow an amazing clock made for Augustus III, King of Poland, in the 1730s. This clock featured a hunting scene, including little figurines of men in their riding costumes. This was perfect as it allowed us to discuss men’s boots, and their ties to land-ownership and male privilege. Fortunately, we were able to borrow several ceramics from the Gardiner Museum, which are featured alongside our footwear throughout the exhibit.

Another strategy we used to fill gaps where we didn’t have the right artefacts was to use historic images. At the BSM, many our exhibits tend to be very image heavy because we value their ability to contextualize artefacts. Footwear in particular benefits from historic images, as shoes were never worn alone, they were worn in context of an entire outfit. The Great Divide features over 30 very carefully selected historic images, some of which help us talk about footwear styles that we don’t have on display. For example, we have a section in the gallery that talks about working class women and the second-hand shoe market. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the perfect pair of shoes to tell this story, so we used an image of a kitchen-maid to illustrate what types of footwear these women would have worn. Historic images work extremely well in conjunction with exhibit text and contemporary quotes to help us contextualize artefacts on view, or take the place of artefacts that we don’t have.

At times, the absence of certain artefacts can be used in a strategic way to tell an important story. For example, in one section of the exhibition, we have an empty showcase with text that encourages the visitor to consider whose shoes from the 18th century were not collected. This empty case is there to signal the limitations that we, as museums, have when discussing the histories of individuals and communities who were marginalized or oppressed. Often, we do not have the material culture of these communities or when we do have it, it was ‘collected’ in highly problematic ways, as museums themselves are part of the imperial project that expanded throughout the 18th century. At the same time, the empty showcase indicates that as a museum, we are having critical discussions about whose history we have collected in the past, and what artefacts we want to collect moving forward. In this way, we used the absence of artefacts to discuss the future of collecting.

In every exhibit that we do, we sometimes find ourselves wanting to discuss historic and cultural themes for which we might not have the correct footwear. By using the strategies above, we can fill in the gaps when we do not have the right artefact, and we can find clever ways to convey critical information to our visitors.

For more information about our exhibit, visit our website here.

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, depending on the size and scope of the project. The Great Divide took about two years. As 2020 is the museum’s 25th anniversary year, we knew that The Great Divide would be a special exhibition, so we began planning early on.

2) What is the most difficult part about putting together the new exhibit, The Great Divide?

The Great Divide exhibition deals with several sensitive topics including gender, race, slavery and colonialism. We wanted to make sure that we dealt with the subjects respectfully, and that there was careful thought and research behind what we are sharing with our visitors.

3) Do all artefacts have to go through conservation work prior? How long was that process?

I asked our Conservator, Ada to answer this question, and here is what she said: Every artefact is surface cleaned in preparation for display which provides a great opportunity to see if they require more significant treatment. It took approximately 3 months to complete the necessary work. Some of the 18th century shoes had received treatment for display in previous exhibitions which helped to reduce the overall workload.

4) Have any of the artefacts featured in the exhibit been displayed before?

Yes, some of the artefacts featured in this exhibition have been displayed before, but in exhibitions that have dealt with different themes and topics. This means that these artefacts are being contextualized in a new way, which will hopefully give visitors who have seen some of them before new insights into their fascinating history. What is really exciting is that we also acquired a few new artefacts for this exhibition that we are displaying for the first time. In addition, we were able to secure some loans from the Gardiner Museum and we are very happy to show these alongside footwear from our permanent collection.

5) Is there an artefact that you wanted part of the exhibition but couldn’t acquire?

We would have loved to have more men’s 18th century footwear, but these objects are very difficult to acquire. Historically, men’s fashion was not valued and preserved the way women’s clothing was. As a result, there aren’t as many surviving examples of men’s footwear compared to women’s shoes. We do have a few on display in the gallery, but we are always on the lookout for the opportunity to collect more, as it would be amazing to add early 18th century men’s shoes to our collection!

6) How did you and your design partners come up with the exhibition layout?

Our designers, Toronto-based Arc and Co, are incredible to work with. At the very outset, they understood the importance of creating a space that really reinforced the central themes of the exhibition. We also knew early on that we would use lots of contextual images in this exhibition, so the design couldn’t be too ‘busy’, as all of these elements would be overwhelming for the visitor when put together. We knew we wanted six major sections when we started out, so Arc and Co was able to design distinct areas to help us explore these themes.

7) Do you find that the contextual images shown will be useful to visitors?

We certainly hope so! All of the images are very carefully chosen to either add historical context to the artefacts, or to tell a story where we might not have the artefact in question. For example, our collection of 18th century footwear is mostly middle and upper class – as this is what was historically saved, so there are areas in the gallery where we use images to draw attention to the footwear of those who weren’t so privileged, but whose stories deserve to be told.

8) How do you go about finding contextual images to use in galleries?

Lots of online searching! We look at museum, art gallery and historic image databases online, as well as websites such as Art Resource, Bridgeman and Getty. In addition, we often find images in publications about the time period that we are discussing in a gallery.

9) How do you think people will react to the heavy important topics in the exhibit?

We hope that the exhibition gives visitors space to reflect on some of these heavy topics, and see how the effects of these enlightenment concepts continue to be felt in Western culture. There is an area at the very beginning of the exhibition where we encourage visitors to email us if they have any thoughts about how we handled these concepts, and I really look forward to hearing what visitors think.

10) What kind of messages do you hope people will away take from visiting The Great Divide?

The main message we hope that visitors will take away from this exhibition is that in 2020, we are still wrestling with many of the same concepts that individuals were dealing with in the 18th century. We continue to deal with what it means to be male, female, a child, an adult, or a racialized person in a society where white privilege continues to dominate. We continue to feel the effects of colonial systems that were strengthened throughout the 18th century. And many of these conflicts can be seen through fashion, especially footwear. At the very end of the exhibit, we invite visitors to think critically about what shoes they are wearing, and how they might relate to the subject matter explored in the exhibition, so we hope that they see the continued relevance of many of these concepts.

To learn more about The Great Divide: Footwear in the Age of Enlightenment visit our website here.

It is a topic that you do not hear about in the public sphere, but one that museums around the world invest in each time they move art objects for the purposes of sharing with other museums. Let me walk you through the process; it is behind-the-scenes work that you might not have imagined.

WANT: Desire, Design and Depression Era Footwear, on exhibition at the Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto © 2020 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada. All Rights Reserved.

At the Bata Shoe Museum, we bring art objects to Toronto to enrich our exhibition presentations. One of our current exhibitions, Want: Desire, Design and Depression Era Footwear, is filled with amazing 1930s art objects from our own collection. However, we wanted to make this exhibition incredible for our visitors, so we supplemented our own collection with some additional pieces from other Collections across the globe. Our lenders included the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence, Italy, who are holders of the ‘Rainbow Platform’ that Mr. Ferragamo designed in the 1930s. This incredible platform sandal has been called the ‘Mona Lisa’ of shoes!

The ‘Rainbow Platform’ on very at the Bata Shoe Museum. © 2020 Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, Florence. All Rights Reserved.

This small, single shoe is an irreplaceable object and an important part of the Museo Ferragamo’s collection. For them to agree to lend it to us, we had to show them that our museum had excellent air quality, stable humidity and temperature, low-level museum-quality lighting, and a secure building. In addition, the transport was specified as ‘fine art transport’. This high-quality shipping protocol ensures a safe and careful environment for the artefacts throughout the entire journey.

Fine art shipping involves custom crating by professionally trained art handlers and dedicated security personnel at every step. And yes! This process takes months of planning! The first step is to review customs regulations in both the origin and the destination countries. For the Italian transport from the Ferragamo Museum, an ATA Carnet was used which is a pre-clearance document that has the strictest use regulations. The Carnet was supplemented with a ProForma Invoice (where details of the items such as the genus and species of organic materials must be included) and a statement of permissions by the appropriate Italian Ministry. These documents generally take three months to produce once the applications are submitted. Customs brokers are hired and alerted at key developments. Insurance policies are reviewed at this stage as well. Once the paperwork has been done, the flights are booked. Not all airlines will carry fine art shipments.

© 2020 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada. All Rights Reserved.

As the flight date approaches, the art objects are placed into the custom designed and built crate. Here the art objects are expertly placed in its shipping position with much attention paid to full, cushioned supporting and protection from any movement during shipping. Only stable, museum-quality materials are used in packing, ensuring only inert materials come in direct contact with the art object. After sealing the crate, coded transport labels are placed, and it is gently moved into the transport truck where it is strapped into place. The truck is equipped with temperature controls and an ‘air ride’, reducing jarring movements as much as possible. The crate needs to arrive at the airport six hours prior to take-off so there is time for customs processing and containerizing prior to boarding. Boarding is confirmed only if a higher priority shipment doesn’t ‘bump’ the crate from the flight. For example, if there was emergency medical equipment that needed to fly as soon as possible, it would be loaded first. If there wasn’t also room for the art crate, it would be delayed to the next available flight.

Travelling along with the crate, an art courier designated by the lending museum is assigned to travel alongside the crate to watch its movement at every stage. The courier knows how each art object is packed and therefore knows it stowage requirements. The courier also knows all of the regulatory procedures for the port of departure and the port of arrival.

Being an art courier is quite an uncomfortable job as a lot of time is spent riding in trucks and watching over the crate while it is in the warehouse and the cargo hold area of the airport. With special security clearance, the courier follows the crate to the cargo area of the airport and will watch over the crate until it is secured in a container (which ensures greater protection) and is ready to load on to the plane. At this last moment, the courier is then taken around to the airport passenger terminal and gets on the plane at the Gate with the other passengers, just in time for take off.

At the destination, the routine is similar, except in reverse. The art courier is one of the first passengers off the plane. She meets up with an assistant at the baggage claim area who will bring her to the commercial customs booth and then to the cargo side of the airport and from there she will observe the crate being de-containerized and moved into a fine art transport truck. The courier rides in the truck with the art handlers direct to the borrowing museum where staff is waiting for them. On arrival, the crate is brought into a secure storage area that is conditioned to the strict temperature and humidity levels. The crate rests there for 48 hours, allowing it to slowly acclimate to its new surroundings, allowing the temperature and humidity of the entire crate contents to slowly come back to ideal levels, which is essential after having been in the airplane’s cargo hold for many hours.

After the two day wait, the crate is opened and unpacked by the art courier, who will do all of the handling of the objects on loan, and will analyze the artefacts in great detail to ensure they have remained in stable condition during transport. Any changes in the objects’ condition are noted on the report and are communicated to the borrowing museum and the lending museum. At long last, the artefacts are ready to be installed in the borrowing museum’s exhibition. The art courier places each object in the exact case that has been planned for it, and the lids are locked in place, not to be touched again until the courier returns for the deinstallation.

1. The Rainbow Platform and the other objects on previously on loan from the Museo Ferragamo, have been returned as of April 2020.

Suzanne Petersen, Collections Manager

On September 19th, 1991, Ötzi the Iceman was found in the Austrian-Italian Alps. He is the oldest, best preserved human body known to science at 5300 years old. Ötzi Man lived in approximately 3300 BCE and when his body was discovered he was still wearing one of his shoes, which are the oldest known preserved shoes in Europe. The thrilling discovery of this prehistoric shoe led to an in-depth study of his footwear.

This exact replica, produced under the guidance of the late Czech researcher Dr. Petr Hlavácek, was part of that detailed research. This replica shoe is made from the original raw materials and using the primitive tools, like the flint-stone knife. The hides (bear leather, deer skin and veal skin) were tanned using the primitive technology that was most likely available to the Ötzi man: beef brain mixed with pork liver, and lightly smoke-dried. After experimenting, Dr. Hlavacek's team believes they also found the Ötzi 's technique for making the bast strings.

This shoe was made to fit Dr. Hlavacek, and was worn by him on a 12-man Czech-Austrian expedition with representatives from Hlavacek's university and the media in September 2001. The men climbed to the peak of Mount Similaun (3,599 metres) shod in the replicas of the Iceman's shoes to demonstrate the footwear's suitability to Alpine snow, water and ice conditions.

Hlavacek's conclusions after two field tests were positive. Assuming the Ötzi 's shoes were custom tailored with an exactness of +/- 5mm, his boots allowed for very comfortable movement, even over uneven forest terrain. The shoes were so effective at weight distribution that the wearers had no blisters and feet were kept dry and warm, effective in temperatures of -5°C to -10°C.

You can see this replica shoe on display now in our "All About Shoes" exhibition. The Ötzi man mummy is on view at the Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige (the South Tyrol Museum of Archeology), in Bolzano, Italy. Visit www.iceman.it/en/ for more information.