Toronto Museums: The Unique and Different
Visit The Bata Shoe Museum and Gardiner Ceramic Museum in One Day
Jan 21, 2009
Toronto is known as the as the cultural center of Canada and the city’s museums and galleries are as diverse as the people who live here. Although these two museums are vastly different in terms of content and collection they do have three important features in common.
- they are less crowded than other museums in the city.
- they are also less expensive; both are only $12.00 per person.
- they are within walking distance of each other.
For The Love of Shoes
The Bata Shoe Museum is an obvious hit with footwear fanatics but this novel museum is actually a fascinating look at human cultural evolution, explained through shoes.
Founding Chairman Sonja Bata began collecting footwear in 1940 and now the museum has more than 12,500 artifacts that rotate through the displays. The Bata Shoe Museum opened in 1995 and is has the largest and rarest collection of footwear in North America.
The building, designed by Canadian architect, Raymond Moriyama looks like an artistic version of a beige shoebox from the street but inside the artifacts and exhibitions are vibrantly coloured.
From Marilyn Monroe’s pumps to wooden “flip flops” from ancient Africa just about any type of shoe imaginable is here. This may be the only place that Napoleon’s silk socks can be displayed along with Canadian Olympic athlete Donovan Bailey’s sprinting shoes. The Bata Shoe Museum is amusing, interesting and it won’t monopolize the entire day.
Porcelain and Pottery
The Gardiner Ceramic Museum is Canada’s only museum dedicated to ceramic art. Opened in 1984, for more than a decade this collection was managed by the Royal Ontario Museum. A sizable donation from George Gardiner, who started the collection in the first place, allowed the museum to run independently from the ROM.
A major two year renovation to the building finally completed in 2006 makes this museum worthy of the collection inside. The sleek, modern design provides an ideal setting for all these dishes. Don’t worry about breaking precious heirlooms; everything is (thankfully) behind glass.
There are ancient Mayan bowls and Mexican statues that date back to 200 BC in the gallery dedicated to the Americas. In contrast, the porcelain from Germany and France conjure visions of 18th century tea parties. Other highlights are a spectacular vase by Picasso and a sculpture by Chagall among other contemporary works of art. The Gardiner Ceramic Museum also runs drop in clay classes for all ages on Fridays at 6 pm and Sundays 1 pm.
Visiting Toronto’s museums is a great vacation idea, but why not discover a different side to art at the Bata Shoe and the Gardiner Ceramic Museum.
Sources
The Bata Shoe Museum- 327 Bloor St. West, 416-979-7799
Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art- 111 Queen’s Park, 416-586-8080
 |
 |
 |
 |
