McNichols Civic Center Building and Buell Theatre Exhibitions; next event in the Cultural Runway Series

Denver Arts & Venues (DAV) is pleased to announce two summer exhibitions and the next event in the Arts & Venues Cultural Runway Series: Click, Clack, Squeak.

“Recently in the art world, there has been a question about whether or not shoes are art. The answer is definitively yes!” said Shanna Shelby, Cultural Affairs program administrator for Denver Arts & Venues. “Our Buell Theatre exhibition and our next runway show celebrate shoe culture in all forms, from the rise of the sneaker in the 1980s to cowboy boots to Prada heels to traditional Hindu wooden sandals.”

“There’s been such an explosion of new design concepts in the shoe world recently, from incorporating new technology like 3D printing to integrating traditional practices such as moccasin beadwork into contemporary styles,” added Brooke Dilling, manager of cultural programs for Denver Arts & Venues. “We are so excited to invite emerging designers to submit their footwear to be featured on our runway in June.”

Call for Shoe Designers:
Denver Arts & Venues invites shoe designers to submit original work for our next Cultural Runway Show: Click, Clack, Squeak on June 14. Submissions will be accepted through May 19. 

Events and Exhibitions:
Click, Clack, Squeak, Buell Theatre Lobby, May 24-Aug. 4, 2024: Shoes are a delightful expression of style, taste, personality and investment. From the mid-1980s and beyond, “kicks” or sneakers have been elevated through sports and hip-hop culture. With the rise in popularity and recognition of particular brands, sportswear also socially elevates the shoe-wearer. In other words, no matter what else you are wearing, if you have the right kicks on, you have status. But this exhibition goes beyond celebrating sports shoes from the past half century, highlighting shoes representative of cultures around the world and across centuries.

201 Kimonos, McNichols Civic Center Building, May 12-Dec. 8, 2024: This exhibition emphasizes the traditional T-shaped garment called “kimono,” but it also integrates the more general concept of clothing, including a variety of other traditional Japanese apparel, such as haori, a short kimono, and other varieties of robe-like clothing, such as traveling coats produced from various cloth and fibers.

Denver Arts & Venues Cultural Runway Series: Click, Clack, Squeak, Buell Theatre Stage, June 14, 5 p.m.: On June 14, Denver Arts & Venues celebrates shoe culture with the next event in our Cultural Runway Series: Click, Clack, Squeak. This runway show presents a showcase of shoes from around the world, from Turkey to Texas, from Japan to Michael Jordan. Shoes are fun and personal, and contemporary footwear design embraces tradition such as indigenous beadwork, yet also looks to the future with new profiles and patterns. To add to the fun, the audience will find themselves behind the curtain, seated on the Buell Theatre stage, where they will find themselves immersed in the production. Tickets: $10-50.

Additional events will be announced. The McNichols Building exhibitions are free and open to the public daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Buell Theatre lobby exhibitions are open to ticketholders. Private tours may also be scheduled by emailing Shanna.Shelby@denvergov.org.