Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum. Image © 2023 Bata Shoe Museum. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum. Image © 2023 Bata Shoe Museum. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum.
Image © 2023 Bata Shoe Museum. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Courtesy of the Department of Nike Archives, American Federation of Arts, and Bata Shoe Museum.
Image © 2023 Bata Shoe Museum. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
© Bata Shoe Museum. Image © 2023 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
© Bata Shoe Museum. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
© Bata Shoe Museum. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Collection of Mr. Bailey. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Collection of Brad Factor. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Collection of the Bata Shoe Museum, gift of RTFKT. Courtesy American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum.
Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks
February 9–May 4, 2025
This groundbreaking exhibition explores the intersection between design innovation and technological advancements in footwear. Future Now features over 70 futuristic designs from the Bata Shoe Museumʼs holdings as well as loans from other prominent institutions, collectors, designers, and inventors. Presenting digitally designed and 3D-printed shoes, sneakers made from mushroom leather and reclaimed ocean plastics, and footwear created for the metaverse, the exhibition explores how cutting-edge technologies, unexpected materials, and new ideas are transforming footwear today. The footwear included in the exhibition is designed to address industrial-age problems and capitalize on postindustrial possibilities. Featured designers and brands include: Salehe Bembury, rtfkt, Mr. Bailey, Zaha Hadid, JEMS by Pensole, Safa Şahin, EKTO VR, Saysh, Benoit Méléard, SCRY, and many more.
Sarasota Art Museum will be one of the five museums to which this exhibition travels. It will open at Portland Art Museum in Portland, OR, and continue on to Newfields: A Place for Nature & the Arts in Indianapolis, IN. After Sarasota, the show will travel to Figge Art Museum in Davenport, IA, before arriving at the final, yet-to-be-determined venue.
The exhibition is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, director and senior curator, Bata Shoe Museum.
This exhibition at Sarasota Art Museum is made possible, in part, with generous suport from:
Platinum Sponsors
Shari and John Hicks
Gallery Didactics for Picking up the Pieces:
Special thanks to the many generous donors who made gifts in memory of Peppi Elona.