A Blue Hill exhibition wants to give people new experiences with shoes.
The “Shoe Show,” which begins on Friday, is the latest exhibition at Working Loose, a combination gallery, shop and event space that owner Em Gift opened at 49 Main St. last June. She wants it to build community and feature retail items that are hard to find in rural Maine.
“The goal is basically to meet in the intersection of commerce and creativity, and be somewhere that is a space that people can come to and be inspired and connect,” she said. “Maybe forge new relationships, meet neighbors, see things, touch things, smell things, experience things in a physical space.”
She’s hosted a handful of exhibitions exploring familiar objects and themes in new ways: rocks, bumper stickers, outdoor gear and now shoes. Those topics might seem highly specific, but they offer a lot to explore because everyone has relationships with them, according to Gift.
“I think when you have sort of a narrow subject, things can actually get really wild and broad,” she said.
When it comes to shoes, Gift said understanding how things are made and viewing the work as an art helps people appreciate the time and skill it takes — which also makes them more informed consumers.
The “Shoe Show” is co-curated with Oregon artist, shoemaker and sandalmaking teacher Rachel Corry. It includes a display of handmade shoes from all over the country, visual shoe-related art created for the show and a small display of unique historical shoes. Two sandalmaking workshops with Corry will round out the show in June.
The lineup includes a granite sneaker that visitors can try on, ceramic shoe sculptures, artful cowboy boots, sneakers turned into heels and boots celebrating pasta shapes.
“From traditional portraiture to dreamlike allegorical painting, to everlasting shoe forms in ceramic and stone — the art expands the vision of shoes as carriers of symbolic meaning,” Corry wrote about the show. “Shoes are like small-scale wearable sculptures. Furniture for our feet. To make them wearable and comfortable takes real dedication and nuanced understanding.”
Gift said the show is already generating buzz, including plans for what shoes people will wear to the opening. She’s also hoping this exhibition will expand Working Loose’s reach and said it will surprise, shock and delight visitors.
An opening reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, May 9. The show runs through June 13.