The Perfect Fit: Shoes Tell Stories
A traveling exhibition organized by the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts and curated by Wendy Tarlow Kaplan, reflecting the imaginative use of shoes in art, and organized in recognition of the historic role of Brockton in the American shoe industry.
Marjorie Schick
Chopines and Puddles - 2008
Painted wood, plastic laminate, papier-mâché
Rebecca Siemering
Super7Hot! - 2008
Found scratch tickets, dental floss, cardboard from shoe box, velvet
Teri Greeves
RezGirlz/RezPride - 2008
Tennis shoe, high heel
Willie Cole
Sole Protector - 2006
Shoes, PVC pipe, painted wood table, metal, screws
Sergei Isupov
Let's Stay Together - 2007
Ceramic
Exhibition Catalog
The Perfect Fit: Shoes Tell Stories
2009-2011
This exhibition explored the artistic and cultural significance of footwear, examining how shoes serve as powerful symbols in art and society. Artists from around the world contributed works that reimagined shoes as vehicles for personal narrative, social commentary, and artistic expression.
The exhibition acknowledged Brockton's historic role as a center of American shoe manufacturing, where Wendy Tarlow Kaplan's family was connected to the industry from the early 20th century. This personal connection added depth to the curatorial vision, bridging industrial heritage with contemporary artistic practice.
Featured artists used diverse materials and techniques to transform the humble shoe into works of art that tell stories about identity, journey, labor, fashion, and human experience. The exhibition traveled to multiple venues between 2009 and 2011, bringing these powerful narratives to audiences across the United States.