Not a Blank Canvas: Celebrating the Most Collaborated Sneakers
February 11, 2025 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Event Navigation
Date: Tuesday, February 11
Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Ticket: Cost: $15 General Admission, $10 Student and Senior (ID Required), Free for Friends of the BSM
Where: Bata Shoe Museum
In conjunction with Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists, this talk will explore the rich histories of some of the sneakers most commonly used in collaborations: the Converse All Star, Nike Air Force 1, Air Jordan I and the Van’s Slip-on. Far more than blank canvases, these famous sneakers carry stories of innovation, culture, and creativity that have made them icons in their own right and popular choices for collabs. Whether you’re a sneaker enthusiast or curious about the intersection of art and fashion, this talk will take you behind the scenes of some of the most influential sneakers ever created.
Agenda
6:30 pm – Doors Open
7:00 pm – Lecture Begins
8:00 pm – Lecture Ends, Galleries Open
9:30 – Doors Close
Please present your e-ticket at the front desk upon arrival. Please contact shan@batashoemuseum.ca with any questions.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
As Director and Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe Museum, Elizabeth applies her extensive cultural art history background to guiding the museum mission forward and exploring the multiple roles and meanings of footwear through innovative and engaging exhibitions. With over 20 exhibitions curated, Semmelhack’s most recent exhibition is Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists.
Named by FASHION Magazine as one of the world’s top five game-changing fashion curators, Semmelhack has been featured in articles and interviews as well as appeared on numerous television and radio programmes. Semmelhack’s award-winning publications include almost 30 articles and chapters as well as numerous books and catalogs. Her most recent publications include: Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks (2022), The World at Your Feet: Bata Shoe Museum (2020); Collab: Sneakers x Culture (2019) and Christian Dior by Roger Vivier (2019).
Mayan Rajendran is a product designer & consultant working in the fashion space. Raised in Brampton but based in Brooklyn, Mayan has had the opportunity to work under prolific brands such as Common Projects, Nike, etc & has established two of his own endeavors; twelve70, a menswear styling app, & agan&again inc.; a product development & consulting company whose work spans from clothing design, styling, photography, insight research, & digital marketing.