Celebrate the opening of our fall exhibition, Brilliant: The Art of Beaded Footwear around the World — an exhibition spanning 400 years of history and five corners of the globe, from Indigenous North America and West Africa to South and Southeast Asia, Europe, and Western fashion. Opens on Thursday, October 22 ✨

Join us on Sunday, October 25 for a full afternoon of family-friendly fun, with guided tours through over 85 extraordinary objects, hands-on beading crafts for all ages, and conversations with artists who have dedicated their practice to this meticulous, centuries-old art form.

Pictured: A Flower in a Desert, Manolo Blahnik x Mimi Plange Studio collaboration. Collection of @mimiplange, New York. ...

The Bata Shoe Museum is pleased to present the annual Founder’s Lecture on Tuesday, November 10, featuring special guest Charles Miers, Publisher and Editorial Director of @rizzolibooks imprints, in conversation with BSM Director and Senior Curator, @elizabethsemmelhack, as they explore the intricate art of visual storytelling and the editorial vision behind some of the most celebrated fashion, design, and cultural books produced today. Purchase your tickets on our website today 🎟️ ...

✨ NEW EXHIBITION ✨
Brilliant: The Art of Beaded Footwear Around the World opens on Thursday, October 22, 2026.

Beads are a popular form of ornamentation found on footwear around the world. Spanning 400 years of history, this exhibition brings together more than 85 meticulously crafted objects to illuminate both the delicate nature of beadwork and the exceptional effort, care, and skill it demands. Across diverse traditions, beads have been used in both decorative and symbolic ways, expressing status, identity, and spirituality. Brilliant traces the global history of beadwork through exceptional examples of beaded footwear from Africa, Europe, South Asia, Turtle Island (North America), and Western Asia.

Curated by @elizabethsemmelhack, Director and Senior Curator, Bata Shoe Museum; @nishib21, Curator and Manager of Exhibitions, Bata Shoe Museum; and Justine Woods, Assistant Professor, Parsons School of Design, The New School ...

@j.martinsfootwear will be returning to the BSM for another Shoe Design 101 workshop! Step into the world of footwear design on Saturday, October 17 ~ in this workshop, participants will learn the foundations of shoe design from sketching silhouettes and choosing materials to understanding proportions and construction techniques. Purchase your ticket through our website.

📅: Saturday, October 17 at 1:00 pm
🎟️: $30

UPDATE: Tickets for this workshop have sold out! ...

Join us for a day of creativity, connection, and cultural learning in this hands-on Indigenous beading workshop led by @natymocs on Saturday, October 10 at 11:00 am. Participants will learn how to create beautiful Beaded Flat Stitch Ojibway Flowers while exploring the rich traditions and teachings behind this intricate art form. Sign up on our website now.

📅: Saturday, October 10 at 11:00 am
🎟️: $65 (includes instruction, materials, and access to all current exhibitions) ...