‘Legacy Shoe Lasts’  to become part of exhibit

These shoe lasts were made in Lewiston.

 LEWISTON – Museum L-A announces an opportunity for people who worked in or with local shoe manufacturers to reserve a personalized shoe last to become part of the upcoming exhibit “Portraits and Voices: Shoemaking Skills of Generations” set to open Sept. 25. This initiative is part of a continued effort by Museum L-A to incorporate original art installations created by the community into its exhibits.

Shoe lasts can be reserved for $50 each and will be artfully displayed in the exhibit’s main gallery. Each “Legacy Shoe Last” features an antique wooden shoe last personalized with a name and connection to the local shoe industry inscribed on a leather tag. The inscribed name can be theirs or someone he or she designates as an honoree.

“Monies raised will be used to help pay for the shoeworkers’ exhibit – for the research, creation and installation of it,” notes Rachel Desgrosseilliers, Museum L-A’s Executive Director. “Lots of fabrication and creative energy goes into making the exhibits come alive,” she continued. This exhibit will be the largest thus far in the Museum’s Portraits & Voices series.

Shoe lasts serve as a form in the creation of a shoe. Museum L-A has collected wooden shoe lasts from the period of time when the Twin Cities were the home of several shoe-last manufacturers. 

 For more information or to reserve a “Legacy Shoe Last,” please contact Museum L-A Development Director Jennifer Dube-Works at 207-333-3881 or jdube@museumla.org.