Sara Hawkins
Director of Visual Arts, Grades 1-8, Academic Club Teacher, Teaching Artist
Shoes Are Made for More than Walking …
“These shoes are our self-portraits, a vessel expressing how we see ourselves and how we believe the world views us ..."
So explains Intermediate Art Teacher Sara Hawkins who had started to hang an exhibit in the Reservoir Gallery late last winter when we all had to leave school because of the pandemic.
As the artists, students expressed their strengths and the character traits of which they are most proud on the outside of their shoe. Some are colorful, while some are covered with objects and words that the students really wanted people to see or think of when they think of them.
“Part of who we are is often hidden inside, and we are the gatekeepers,” says Ms. Hawkins. “The viewer may be able to look into some of the shoes to reveal something that is a struggle for us, or an area where we are trying to improve. Some of these inside ‘shoe-scapes’ are hidden on purpose. We didn’t want to expose something that we view as a weakness or something we are embarrassed about. In addition to our sculptures, we each wrote an artist’s statement explaining our artwork and how it expresses who we are.
“These shoes encompass who we are and we realize that these shoes will change as we will do over time. Shoes get nicked or they stretch out, altering their form. I wonder what our shoe self-portraits would look like as we live through this pandemic. Have we realized new strengths or talents? Have we identified areas of improvement as we are home and learning virtually?”
These creative and thoughtful shoe sculptures prove that, indeed, shoes are made for more than walking …
