What is it about the shoe that so captivates the imagination?
From February 3 to March 16, 2022, the Flinn Gallery, presents Just Shoes: Where Art, Craft and Fantasy Meet, an exhibition featuring more than 70 shoes by 20 artists.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, February 3, from 6:00 to 8:00pm.
Curators Debra Fram and Barbara Richards selected the works on display from a larger collection of fantasy shoes commissioned by Jane Gershon Weitzman, Founding Vice President of Stuart Weitzman Retail. Wife of the renowned shoe designer, Jane had a vision to create a gallery of fictional shoes for their Madison Avenue store windows. She traveled the world to find artists who could help her fulfill her dream. In total, over a period of 12 years, more than 1,000 shoes were created.
Constructed from a surprising array of materials and forms, blending traditional craftsmanship with the totally unexpected, these shoes exist as artistic one-offs, cobbled together from cut and collaged paper, plexiglass, bronze, ceramic, wire, found objects, fabric, steel, rhinestones and more. On display are the whimsical and the architectural, the lavishly decorated and the outlandishly camp. Some designs are abstract and others figurative, referencing popular culture, the animal kingdom, and nature. Pure invention transports these shoes far from the utilitarian realm with which we usually associate them. Here, form owes nothing to function.
Notable artists whose innovative designs are on view include: Ann Johnson, who has had two of her sculptures displayed in the East Wing of the White House; Kevin Radu, who created a 911 memorial for the Chrysler headquarters in Detroit; Sharon von Senden, who designed and constructed more than 20,000 square feet of mosaics with nearly 5 million pieces of glass for the City Museum in St. Louis; Danielle Pollitz, who was commissioned to sculpt the Angel of Hope award presented to President Bill Clinton; and Joan Klimo, who designed shoes for Christian Dior.
Totally unwearable and joyfully defiant of practical use and anatomy, these fantastical creations exist purely to delight the eye and the imagination. They are sure to delight viewers of all ages, fashionistas and art lovers alike.
The Flinn Gallery, sponsored by the Friends of Greenwich Library, is located on the second floor of the Library’s main branch at 101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich. The gallery is open daily Monday to Saturday 10:00 am-5:00 pm, Thursday until 8:00 pm, and Sunday 1:00-5:00 pm.
Special Event in the Berkley Theater at Greenwich Library
Shoes: In Conversation with Jane Gershon Weitzman and Christina Chiu
Saturday, February 26, 2:00-3:00 pm
Click here to register through Greenwich Library. Masks and evidence of full vaccination required.
Greenwich Library and the Flinn Gallery bring Jane Gershon Weitzman to the Berkley Theater, on February 26 at 2:00pm.
As former Executive Vice President and Founding Vice President of Stuart Weitzman Retail, Jane was the inspiration for the Flinn Gallery’s current exhibition Just Shoes: Where Art, Craft and Fantasy Meet.
Jane will share stories of her partnership with her husband, renowned shoe designer Stuart Weitzman, and how they built their business together. She will also discuss her long-running project of finding artists who would create fantasy shoes for the window gallery of their flagship store.
Interviewer Christina Chiu is an award-winning writer and the author of Beauty, where the main protagonist is a die-hard shoe lover.
For more information, please call the Gallery: 203-622-7947 www.flinngallery.com
Exhibit : https://flinngallery.com/just-shoes/
