Israel Museum gets its kicks with kid-friendly shoe show

Flip-flop fun

Youth Wing exhibit running for summer season explores footwear from ancient sandals to Sabra slides

By Jessica Steinberg

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Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

Footwear of all kinds, along with the stories that accompanied them, is the focus of “Shoe Stories,” a new exhibit at the Israel Museum’s Youth Wing.

The exhibit, which opened June 30 for the summer season, takes visitors — and not just kids — through two floors of shoe-related objects curated by Orna Granot in the Youth Wing galleries.

It’s a whimsical look at many kinds of shoes throughout history, from ancient sandals discovered in the Judean Desert to 19th-century Bukharan wedding slippers and more modern Sabra slides and flip-flops, as well as a corner for kids to try on shoes for themselves, always a happy activity.

The exhibit includes a ceiling-high vitrine of familiar high-heels designed by Kobi Levi, known for his outlandish, quirky creations, such as banana peel shoes, chewing gum booties (worn by singer Fergie), flamingo stilettos and optical illusion boots (worn by Lady Gaga).

The exhibit is a first for the Israel Museum, drawing on the cultural institution’s collections alongside special loans.

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Alongside rare footwear from different periods and cultures, the exhibit features installations, videos and interactive projects created by Israeli artists and designers, offering additional ways to enter the stories behind the shoes.

Running with the footwear theme, the Illustration Library in the Youth Wing has its own “Enchanted Shoes” exhibit with illustrations of stories focused on kicks and a selection of books that feature shoes.

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