SHOE SHINE Sneaker Exhibition & Competition goes down next week on November 3rd and it’s gonna be a party for sure. We jumped on board last minute in 2006 to help sponsor this event as it sounded super awesome and it certainly was. So, when we got the call from Lilly to get on board this year we jumped at the opportunity.
THE LOWDOWN:
Shoe Shine’s primary goal is to creatively engage youth and the community at large through integrating visual art and sneaker culture. Over the years, sneakers have become a fixture in popular culture. Their design has evolved from a simple canvas and rubber shoe, to colors, materials, shapes and patterns limited only by the imagination. “Shoe Shine” showcases the sneaker as a canvas unlike any other, and allows us to revel in its possibilities for self-expression. Through this event, we provide young people, who often view sneakers as symbols of status or wealth, a channel to view them as art and as a medium to express their individual artistic abilities.
The contestant’s shoes are displayed gallery style, and a prize is given to the winner from each of the five categories that include; Best Men’s, Best Women’s, best Customized, Oldest & Cleanest, and Best in Show. With the exception of the Best in Show category, “Shoe Shine” winners are determined by a combination of audience ballots and a small panel of celebrity/expert judges.
Other elements of the event include:
1.) A “Customize Your Own Sneaker” contest where children are invited to color-in a sneaker “silhouette” and receive a prize;
2.) The “Use the Backboard” exhibition where some of Denver’s best local artists transform a basketball hoop and backboard into amazing paintings, photos, or sculptures;
3.) Displays of sneaker and basketball art and paraphernalia and;
4.) A “live” shoe customization by sneaker artists.
SERIOUS Thanks and BIG PROPS go out to Musa Bailey (Pulse Arts) and Lillian Marsh (FIRELILY) for putting together such a spectacular event. We can’t wait!
Matt Moore aka 
The Rake 
Wes Winship of 
Felt Beard!!! by 
Buck: 
