Discover the treasures of North America’s charming and surprising shoe museum in Toronto, Canada. A remarkable collection of footwear from around the globe with over 4,500 years of history. Explore four impressive exhibitions that will inspire and delight visitors of all ages in architect Raymond Moriyama’s iconic, award-winning building.
October 3, 2o24 to March 23, 2026
Can shoes be art? As artists increasingly use sneakers to challenge and redefine conventional artistic boundaries, Art/Wear: Sneakers and Artists explores how these collaborations blur the lines between art, fashion and collecting by opening up the opportunity to acquire and wear pieces by some of the most revered art figures in the world. Many of these collabs are finding their place within traditional art spaces, such as art museums and auction houses, contributing to the ongoing discussion of what defines art today.
Exhibit A: Investigating Crime & Footwear
April 18, 2024 to October 2025
This exhibition examines both the development of footwear forensics as a means of solving crime and the social constructions of criminality from the nineteenth century to today. It also considers how clothing and footwear play roles in cultural ideas of criminality informed by assumptions and bias. It will take visitors on a journey to sleuth out the central but complex role of footwear in crime, policing, the judiciary system and our cultural ideas of criminality.
Dressed to Impress: Footwear & Consumerism in the 1980s
November 1, 2023 to March 16, 2025
The decade known for its bold fashions: bright colours, sharp silhouettes, cone heels, and high-status sneakers, this exhibition highlights the joyful nostalgia of the times, while exploring the rise of conservative politics, globalization, and technological innovation that influenced our consumer habits of today.
All About Shoes: Footwear Through the Ages
Permanent
As the museum’s flagship exhibition, this exhibit takes visitors on a voyage through 4500 years of footwear history, focusing on the important role that footwear plays in our lives and imaginations. Up a flight of stairs is the exhibition Behind the Scenes: A Glimpse into Artefact Storage. With only four percent of the collection typically on view at any given time, this area gives visitors a glimpse into the museum’s two storage vaults and offers rotations of artefacts from the collection.
OPENING HOURS
Monday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm
Sunday: 12pm to 5pm
The Bata Shoe Museum offers FREE admission every Sunday!
