'Art & Sole' connects fashion and fine art at The Heard Museum

The Heard Museum is demonstrating the bridge between the art and fashion worlds with its "Art & Sole" exhibit. The show features shoes decorated by Indigenous artists paired with other corresponding works by the same artists.

The shoes were donated by Charles King of the King Galleries of Scottsdale. Around the turn of the century, he began working with several Native artists, many of whom were potters, to decorate these various pairs of shoes. King explains that he wanted to have them “try a new medium and use designs they wouldn’t put on their pottery.”

“It was about expanding how they ‘created’ art and (about) experimenting,” he says.

The process of creating these shoes went on for about 20 years. Once they were completed, they were put on display in his Scottsdale gallery. It wasn’t until about two years ago that he decided to donate the collection. King had worked with the Heard Museum in the past, and most recently wrote a chapter for their catalog for the recent "Maria and Modernism" exhibit.

“The Heard agreed to accept the shoes as a donation and we discussed how I thought they should be displayed along with the artist’s paintings or pottery to create that connection,” King says. “They did a perfect job of selecting pieces from their collection to match the designs or style of the shoes.”

The exhibit’s curator, Olivia Barney, saysthat showing the shoes with examples of the artists’ other works is a way to represent their artistic versatility.

“They don't only have to make this,” Barney says. “They can do a whole variety of things and experiment with different mediums. But also throughout the show, what's really cool to see is, no matter the tools or different techniques they try out, you can still see their styles kind of continue throughout it.”

For Barney, this exhibit serves as a beacon for community engagement and interest in Native art.

“This is really good energy,” Barney says. “I think people were seeing a lot of their community in it too, because there's a lot of vocal talent that was being celebrated. It's living Native artists within the exhibit, too. So I think people can just feel that energy, and they sense it.”

King has a similar wish for what audiences take away from the collection.

“The exhibit is exciting and I think speaks well about how The Heard wants to interact with a new generation and create interest in art and Native art specifically,” King says.  “The one thing I hope people take away is that artists can work in any medium and it teaches them more about themselves. For the viewers, that Native art is alive, vibrant and changing as the artists change with the times.”

Art & Sole will be open to the public until Jan.5, 2025. The exhibit is included with general admission to The Heard Museum, which is located at 2301 N. Central Ave.