Could you design shoes?

LEWISTON — During the installation of Museum L-A’s most recent gallery exhibit “Footwear: From Function to Fashion,” museum staff were inspired by the vast diversity in style that shoes have exhibited throughout history. Many of the designs varied widely based on their uses in and out of the home especially between styles for men and women; a sentiment that still rings true to this day.

In an effort to delve deeper into how the process of designing shoes works now, Museum L-A has invited designers from Rancourt & Co. Shoecrafters and L.L. Bean to share their thoughts on this field in an event called “Mastering Shoe Design.” The event will give these designers a chance to speak about how people can get into this career, new considerations for designers today, and where they see the field going in the future.

“Mastering Shoe Design” will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10. Admission is $10 per person. To register, visit the museum’s website at www.museumla.org or call 207-333-3881.

After a moderated discussion with the panelists, guests will be able to ask the designers their own questions about the shoe design career path and how the industry has changed over the years. Light refreshments will be served and guests will have a chance to tour the gallery exhibit before and after the discussion.

During the course of the event, guests and panelists will vote on their favorite submissions from Museum L-A’s Design a Shoe contest. Throughout the month of September, students and the general public worked from museum-generated templates to create and submit shoe designs inspired by Auburn’s shoe industry history, their favorite spots in the community, shoe designs of the past, or their own imagination. Denise Scammon, the museum’s programming and marketing coordinator, worked with teachers from McMahon Elementary, Walton Elementary, and Lewiston Regional Technical School to involve students in the contest.

“Teachers of the classrooms that toured Museum L-A to learn about the local shoe industry informed us that the students thought the tours were ‘great’  and that most of the students had never been to a museum before. Students were surprised to learn so much about Lewiston- Auburn history,” said Scammon. Information about winners of the shoe design contest can be found on the museum’s website after Oct. 10.

Museum L-A’s current gallery exhibit “Footwear: From Function to Fashion” will be on display until mid-November.

Museum L-A is located in the Bates Mill Complex at 35 Canal Street in Lewiston, Maine.  Its hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Special tour requests and large group tours outside of these hours are available by appointment.