SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College presents a new exhibition of work from the Tang collection being shown at the museum for the first time, “Lotus Shoes: Stories between Stitches,” on view from Saturday, Sept. 3, through Sunday, Dec. 4.
Organized by Madeleine Ward-Schultz ’22, the exhibition features a selection of shoes for bound feet from the Tang collection in conversation with a contemporary artwork by Lillian Mulero. While the Chinese tradition of foot-binding is familiar to audiences in the West, the practice by women of using the shoes as a means of self-expression may not be.
Shoes for bound feet, or lotus shoes, were worn by Chinese women from the Song Dynasty (960–1279) to the early 20th century. Women tightly wrapped their 6- to 8-year-old daughters’ feet into a “lotus” shape by folding the four toes under the arch, halting development; the painful and repeated re-forming of the foot achieved a higher, bulging instep and elongated appearance from big toe to heel, necessitating a teetering gait that was considered fashionable and attractive. The foot-binding ritual, practiced entirely in women’s quarters within a patriarchal society, was considered a pathway for young girls to secure their future by marrying into wealthier families.
Lotus Shoes: Stories between Stitches explores how women expressed themselves creatively through individualized, unique shoes with vivid hues and intricate embroidery. The exhibition encourages viewers to consider their own reactions to societal standards, asking: What do we maintain, adopt, and reject in order to navigate our world? And how do the objects we make, wear, and use tell stories about who we are and who we want to be?
Ward-Schultz will give a public tour of the exhibition at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, at 1 pm. Admission to the tour is free. The Tang is open to the public Thursdays from noon to 9 p.m., and Fridays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit the Tang website at tang.skidmore.edu.
