The exhibition, with approximately 150 pairs of shoes, is dedicated to the evolution of sneakers from its beginnings to its current role as a status symbol and urban icon. Included are works from the archives of manufactures such as Adidas, Converse, Nike, Puma, and Reebok as well as from private collectors such as hip-hop legend Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, sneaker guru Bobbito Garcia, and Dee Wells of Obsessive Sneaker Disorder. Also featured are sneakers by Prada and other major fashion design houses and designers, as well as those made in collaboration with artists including Damien Hirst and Shantell Martin.

Film footage, interactive media, photographic images, and design drawings contextualize the sneakers and explore the social history, technical innovations, fashion trends, and marketing campaigns that have shaped sneaker culture over the past two centuries.

The Rise of Sneaker Culture is organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Bata Shoe Museum (Toronto). It is curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe Museum. The Brooklyn presentation is organized by Lisa Small, Curator of Exhibitions, Brooklyn Museum. A fully illustrated catalogue, co-published by the AFA in partnership with the Bata Shoe Museum and Rizzoli, accompanies the show.

The exhibition will be on from the 10th of July to the 4th of October at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. For more information about the exhibition please refer to the museums’ website.