Architecture
A “small gem of a museum” designed by Architect Raymond Moriyama.
What's On 2023
Terrarium Making Workshop
Create your own terrarium inspired by wabi-sabi on June 17 with Alexscapes.
Click Clack Pride
The BSM is hosting its first-ever after-dark Pride Party.
In Bloom
Our new exhibition is now open.
Obsessed
Discover how society became obsessed with shoes.
Future Now
Explore over fifty futuristic footwear designs.
Step Into the BSM
We've refreshed our blog with new articles, interviews, and more. Tell us what you think.
Media Room
Find our latest press releases and more information on media images and interview requests.
Follow Us @batashoemuseum
We’re only 6 days away from our first-ever Pride party on Wednesday, June 7! Join us for a fashion presentation exhibiting selected works by @fashionarttoronto ft. @mariofugnitto. The night will also include a performance by @missmoco, music by DJ Sophie Jones @sophiejones and an unveiling of the newest shoes in the our collection - a pair of @thequeenpriyanka`s heels. Tickets are limited, get yours now!
This pump from the 1960s features strawberries. It was made by the American brand Taj of India, which created Indian-inspired footwear that would appeal to a Western consumer. The silk upper was likely made in India and the heel in Italy; the entire shoe was probably assembled in New York. See these shoes on display in our exhibition "In Bloom: Flowers & Footwear" 🍓👠
American, 1962-1965
Photo: Margaret Mulligan
We`re excited for our first-ever Pride Party held in partnership with @pridetoronto on Wednesday, June 7 from 7 pm to 11 pm. “Click Clack at the BSM” includes a live performance by @missmoco and a fashion presentation of avant-garde looks by @fashionarttoronto and @mariofugnitto -- all while you explore four galleries of shoes from across the world dating back 4,500 years! Also as part of the night, the museum recently acquired a pair of heels from @thequeenpriyanka. Tickets are limited. Do not miss this!
Happy International Museum Day! In celebration of this year’s theme, sustainability and wellbeing, we’re highlighting this pair of mushroom leather sneakers that are on view in our “Future Now” exhibition!
Mushroom leather has recently emerged as a viable material for shoemaking. This pair of sneakers by Nat-2 was made using “leather” created out of the middle layer of the tinder sponge, Fomes Fomentarius, which grows on dead or weak birch and beech trees. The natural variations of colour, tone, and texture allow the material to look and feel like real leather.
Missed our terrarium making workshop this past weekend with Alex Vella from (@alexscapes)? We`ll be hosting another workshop on Saturday, June 17 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm! In this workshop, participants will be able to make their very own terrarium inspired by wabi-sabi, the Japanese tradition of finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence and change.
Sign up now by visiting our website.
Join us for a fascinating conversation on Wednesday, May 24 at 3pm EST with @avalonfotheringham, curator for the South Asian textiles and dress collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum (@vamuseum) in London, UK to learn more about her career journey, her work in textiles and more. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A by our Director & Senior Curator @elizabethsemmelhack. RSVP now using the link in our bio.