Shoes are a notion not to be easily dismissed. We are expected to wear them and in many places we are required to wear them. No shoes, no shirt, no service! However, take shoes and put them in the hands of a remarkable designer, and shoes become more than a functional object to protect the feet. As renowned artist Judith Hendler sees it, shoes become a multi-faceted object of design. Reimagined and repurposed, the shoe takes on a myriad of uses. An object to recreate that tells fantastic stories about the wearer, describes an evening of celebration, envisions a city celebrating a night on the town and enables us to tiptoe through the tulips! Judith has challenged California Community College students and members of the Huntington Beach Art Center to explore the theme of footwear in this year’s newest design project utilizing core concepts of sustainability. Her challenge was well met. If the Shoe Fits features 60 creatively imagined shoe-based artworks in both traditional and sculptural mediums. Colorful, creative, useful and frivolous, artists took hold of the notion and ran with it. As the viewer will see, the range of ideas included in the exhibition could inspire one to begin a journey of 1,000 steps or simply enjoy a night on the town.
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