Shoe enthusiasts and sneaker heads rejoice, the Heard Museum has announced the opening of its new exhibition, "Art & Sole," on Friday, May 3.
To celebrate, it is hosting a free event from 5 to 9 p.m. on May 3 where sneaker heads, hip-hop enthusiasts and street culture aficionados can participate in immersive experiences, live performances and interactive showcases that celebrate the heartbeat of indigenous expression.
"Art & Sole" features shoes painted, beaded and styled by more than a dozen native artists. Each pair of shoes will be partnered with artwork by the same artist, showing the style within which they commonly create, and thus demonstrating how an artist’s visual language translates across different forms.
In the exhibition, each pair of shoes will be partnered with artwork by the same artist, showing the style within which they commonly create, and thus demonstrating how an artist’s visual language translates across different forms. By utilizing shoes as a common thread and medium, the exhibition aims to show how creations by native people are connected to broader society and the artistic world. Most of the works will be drawn from the Heard Museum’s permanent collection, with many of the shoes having been acquired as a generous gift from Charles King.
The shoes and many of the additional works will be drawn directly from the Heard Museum’s permanent collection, including works by:
• Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo)
• Susan Folwell (Santa Clara Pueblo)
• Teri Greeves (Kiowa)
• Jason Garcia/Okuu Pín (Santa Clara Pueblo Tewa)
• Jennifer Tafoya (Santa Clara Pueblo)
Many of the shoes being featured in the exhibition were acquired as a generous gift from Charles King. The exhibition is sponsored in part by the Virginia M. Ullman Foundation, Susan Esco Chandler & Alfred D.Chandler and Lily Chester in memory of SheldonChester.
The exhibition will be open through Jan. 5, 2025. For more information on the Heard Museum, visit heard.org.
