Getting Crafty with Lots of Shoes

The Miracle Mile in Los Angeles' Mid-Wilshire district is home to quite a few museums, such as the mammoth LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), the La Brea Tar Pits, and the Peterson Automotive Museum. Big museums get a lot of publicity and clout, but smaller museums can be hidden gems that offer great bang for your buck. This is definitely the case with the Craft and Folk Art Museum, which is also located along the Miracle Mile near these larger museums.

As part of my summer to do list, I finally made it to the Craft and Folk Art museum last month and it was a real treat, not to mention a feast for the eyes. Also, the current exhibit, which is on the shoe making of Los Angeles based artist Chris Francis, was right up the alley of someone as fashion obsessed, not to mention shoe obsessed, as myself.

In the lobby of the museum is a temporary studio for shoe maker Chris Francis. Unfortunately, we did not get to see him at work in the studio, as he was hosting a workshop on making platform shoes. I gladly would have attended this, even though I don't wear platform shoes, but it was sold out. Still, it was fun to see the studio and some of his sketches. I think if I could just learn how to make shoes I would probably save myself a lot of money!

The exhibit of Chris Francis' shoes offered a lot of eye candy with gorgeous shoes that referenced various cultures, time periods, and artistic movements such as cubism. To be honest, I wouldn't be able to walk in any of these shoes, but I sure wouldn't mind having a pair or two on display in my house. Below you will see some of my favorites from the exhibit.

For anyone looking for a museum that has some incredible, innovative exhibits I would definitely recommend popping into the Museum of Craft and Folk art. The Chris Francis exhibit ends this week, but I am sure many other fun exhibits will follow in its place. I will certainly be back sometime soon, especially because one of my favorite restaurants, Lawry's The Prime Rib is right down the street. Plus, the museum changes up its exterior every so often with a different design for its facade. When I went it was a yellow and black motif, but a couple years ago it sported the colorful design below. For more info about this great museum, check out their website at CAFAM.org.