Katherine Govier

The Shoe Project

The Shoe Project was open to the public from February 9 – March 8, 2012 at the Bata Shoe Museum.

At CBC’s Ideas, Katherine talks to Paul Kennedy about The Shoe Project. You can stream the program at http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episodes/2012/02/27/in-their-shoes/.

Katherine writes about The Shoe Project:

http://stellaa-org.blogspot.com/2012/01/shoe-project-by-author-katherine-govier.html

http://amwriting.org/archives/9771

The design of the webpages in this section is taken from the Bata Shoe Museum webpages designed by Nicole Cahill; all of the photos are by Suzanne McLean © 2012 Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto, Canada.

Katherine wanted to work with women who had immigrated to Canada with leadership potential and help them hone their writing skills in English. Elizabeth Semmelhack, Senior Curator of the Bata Shoe Museum, had long considered doing an exhibition featuring the shoes that brought people to Canada. When the two met, their ideas came together and through the generosity and enthusiasm of a private sponsor The Shoe Project was born. 

For eight weeks this past fall, Katherine met with twelve women, ages eighteen to sixty, who came to Canada from the Ukraine to Japan and many places in between. The rich storage vaults of the Bata Shoe Museum inspired the group and Elizabeth spoke to them about the cultural significance of shoes. Over tea and cookies the group discussed writing and immigration. Each woman found that she had a shoe-inspired tale. By the end each member had written a personal essay and provided the footwear to match. Here are the "Shoe Stories".