Community Calendar

The People Could Fly is a poetic look into the history of Black gathering spaces in Louisville, KY, from the 1960s to mid-2000s. Intimate video portraits reveal the ritual of skating and how roller rinks emerged as sanctuaries for Black culture, joy, and resilience. This short documentary explores the magic conjured by one community as an act of resistance in the face of segregation. Directed by Imani Denison, The People Could Fly was co-produced by POV Shorts on PBS and Chicken & Egg Films. It has a run time of 24 minutes.

All hybrid events will be livestreamed to our YouTube page and can be found under the “Live” tab. Recordings of select past events are available on YouTube as well.

Author Nicholas Smith examines the history, innovation, and societal impact of sneakers in American life through marketing, economic, and cultural trends. Smith weaves together a story of how the sneaker evolved over the course of a century. As production methods were revolutionized, the perception of this iconic footwear shifted as well, making them into must-have shoes. Themes in this book will tie into Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks.

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
All book discussions are free, open to the public, and take place in-person at the Meader Fine Arts Library. Participants do not need to have read the book, but it will help facilitate the overall discussion. Preregistration is encouraged.

Explore Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks through the medium of poetry! Local poet and Kirk Newman Art School instructor Elizabeth Kerlikowske has led her poetry students in composing original works responding to selected shoes featured in the exhibition. During this ArtBreak, the students will share their work and offer new perspectives on this innovative collection that brings together footwear of the past, present, and future!

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

All hybrid events will be livestreamed to our YouTube page and can be found under the “Live” tab. Recordings of select past events are available on YouTube as well.

Learn about an exciting footwear design exhibit and create your own unique sneaker with the KIA and Kalamazoo Public Library. This teen event will take place at the Kalamazoo Public Library Oshtemo Branch Community Room. The shoes created as part of the program will be on view at the Kalamazoo Public Library Oshtemo Branch in a special display. Materials will be provided. Please click here to register on KPL’s website.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.

Join us for a closer look at some of the shoes featured in Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks! This provocative exhibition considers how cutting-edge technologies, unexpected materials, and new ideas are transforming footwear today.

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
Gallery Gatherings are short, lightly-moderated conversations about selected artworks from ongoing exhibitions. Chairs and gallery stools are available for guests. This program is free, but preregistration is encouraged.

Join Jozefa Rogocki for an artist’s talk and demonstration of the intricate art of pysanky eggs, a traditional folk art practiced in various regions of Poland, Ukraine, and other Slavic countries. During this ArtBreak, Rogocki will share her process for decorating these colorful eggs by applying a wax-and-dye batik process. She will demonstrate tools and techniques; discuss the history, myths, and traditional symbols engaged by this unique art form; and share a variety of designs that include contemporary interpretations of archetypal symbols.

Jozefa Rogocki is an artist from the UK with Polish heritage and has lived in the US for 25 years. She recently received an Arts Midwest Culture Bearers Award for her extensive work continuing and sharing the traditional folk art of pysanky eggs. She regularly teaches classes and attends local art fairs and festivals demonstrating this beautiful art form to audiences of all ages.

All hybrid events will be livestreamed to our YouTube page and can be found under the “Live” tab. Recordings of select past events are available on YouTube as well.

Join us for Sneaker Culture Night featuring music, food, and an engaging presentation. Dr. Delisia Matthews will share her research on Sneaker Culture by highlighting its historical roots, the unique language and behaviors of consumers, and the deep ties of the culture to music. Additionally, this discussion will explore how sneaker collecting connects to fatherhood and legacy, while inviting the audience to connect through their own sneaker narratives.

Dr. Delisia Matthews is an Associate Professor at North Carolina State University in the Wilson College of Textiles whose research explores consumer behavior and trends, sneaker culture and the cultural meanings behind consumer decision-making. With a background in marketing research and retail at companies like Procter & Gamble, Nordstrom, and Walmart, she blends industry insight with scholarship. An award-winning educator, Dr. Matthews uses qualitative research to center consumers’ voices, tell their stories, and advocate for the communities behind the culture.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.

Join us for a family-friendly exploration of some of the shoes featured in Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks! All ages are welcome to join in the conversation as we observe shoe designs of the past, present, and future.

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed or posted on YouTube.
Gallery Gatherings are short, lightly-moderated conversations about selected artworks from ongoing exhibitions. Chairs and gallery stools are available for guests. This program is free, but preregistration is encouraged.

Meet a living legend in the world of of shoe design! During this Artful Evening, Wilson W. Smith III will speak about his prolific career in the athletic footwear industry. The first Black designer for Nike, Smith has created shoes for Michael Jordan, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, and many more. After a 41-year career with the company, Smith retired as the Manager of Design Eduation with Nike’s Blue-Ribbon Studio in 2025. His work has been recognized with a number of prestigious awards, including Nike’s inaugural Design Achievement Award in 2019. In 2024, Detroit’s Pensole Lewis College, the nation’s only design-focused HBCU, dedicated the Wilson W. Smith III Footwear Design Studio. Join us to learn more about the passion and artistry that have driven Smith’s remarkable career and his life’s work in design and education.

Thank you to our event sponsor:

Warner Norcross & Judd

All hybrid events will be livestreamed to our YouTube page and can be found under the “Live” tab. Recordings of select past events are available on YouTube as well.

Join us for a special Artful Evening with Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto! Semmelhack is the curator of Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks. During this program, she will talk about why shoes matter and about how designers today are revolutionizing what we will put on our feet tomorrow. If you’ve enjoyed Future Now, don’t miss this opportunity to meet the curator behind the exhibition!

Semmelhack’s work focuses on the intersections of fashion, culture, and economics, with a particular interest in the history of footwear. She is widely quoted in the media from the New York Times to Vogue, and since starting at the Bata Shoe Museum in 2000, she has curated over thirty exhibitions and written fourteen books and catalogues and over thirty chapters and articles. Her most recent exhibitions and publications related to sneakers include Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists (2024), Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks (Rizzoli:2022), Collab: Sneakers x Culture (Rizzoli: 2019), and Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture (Rizzoli: 2015).

Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting-Edge Kicks is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum, and curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum.

All hybrid events will be livestreamed to our YouTube page and can be found under the “Live” tab. Recordings of select past events are available on YouTube as well.