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Andrea Sosa Fontaine’s artistic medium of choice is shoes.  

“I always had an interest in high school in learning to make shoes, but there was nothing in my area for it,” Sosa Fontaine said. “I kind of pushed that aside and just happened to run into a shoemaker when I was working in New York, and I paid her by the hour to teach me how to make shoes. I was hooked immediately and really loved that I could design and make something in the span of like a week.” 

Sosa Fontaine, assistant professor in 91�ֿ�'s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, says an appreciation for the memories that small-scale objects hold combined with the shoe’s natural way of expressing a person’s identity are the main elements that drew her to this art form and craft.  

“I love the kind of layers that exist in shoes. They can be meaningful, or they can just be functional,” Sosa Fontaine said. 

Sosa Fontaine looks at the world around her for inspiration. Currently, she is working on a pair of shoes inspired by a conference she attended about waste in the interior design, architecture and construction industries and how it impacts the earth.  

“I was looking at more disposable materials and thinking that maybe shoes don't have to last as long, but they can have a minimal impact on the environment,” Sosa Fontaine said. “I don't know what they're going to look like, but it's more like what the materials can do and exploring ideas of, do we need things to last a long time?” 

Sosa Fontaine uses the discipline of her skill to help her students adapt to the changing world of interior design in the age of virtual reality. Sosa Fontaine teaches students to think creatively when looking at the world around them in hopes to prepare them for potential careers designing virtual reality interior environments. These include virtual reality experiences, game design and designing virtual reality spaces to help dementia patients in the medical field. 

“Even though they're designing interior spaces, I integrate practices of looking at other makers. Even fashion theory comes into my work, often in a way to prompt them to think about space differently,” Sosa Fontaine said. "In theory, this will prepare them better for practice and to be more creative design thinkers and be able to kind of adapt to wherever the profession takes them.”

Sosa Fontaine recently won the Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities presented by Arts Midwest for her work in making shoes. The award supports and celebrates accessibility in the arts, encourages artists’ future work and celebrates artists’ efforts. Sosa Fontaine is one of nine award winners and is the only winner from Ohio.

“I think of myself as being a neurodiverse person. So, generally speaking, I would say the biggest things that I face challenges with would be related to ADHD and anxiety,” Sosa Fontaine said. "I think that the recognition, in a way, is something that is saying that disabilities don't necessarily hinder your work and actually can contribute to it and make you more successful depending on how you can use it to your advantage.”

From knit hats being part of protests to shoes telling stories, the value of craft as a part of a creative practice has expanded over the years and is starting to be celebrated as an art form – something Sosa Fontaine appreciates.

“I really think that craft is going to have a more significant value in society and design as we move forward. So, it's meaningful to me that even though I'm a maker, I was still recognized as an artist with this award,” Sosa Fontaine said.

Along with recognizing her artwork, the award also granted Sosa Fontaine a monetary fund, which she has used to purchase materials, including a sewing machine, to help further her work as a shoemaker.

“The machine has allowed me to look at different types of materials that I wouldn't typically be able to and with my own equipment that I already have,” Sosa Fontaine said.

With this new equipment, Sosa Fontaine is able to explore different ideas in her art.

“I think today it's less about the original context of making shoes and learning how to make shoes, and it's more a practice of just exploring ideas. That is kind of where I'm at right now,” Sosa Fontaine said.

Learn more about the College of Architecture and Environmental Design