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'Sneaker Tour' is Fort Wayne Urban League's fresh take on local art

One of the sneakers that will be on display.
Fort Wayne Urban League
One of the sneakers that will be on display.

The Fort Wayne Urban League will debut a new take on local art next week – touring sneakers.

Four pairs of sneakers will be traveling around Fort Wayne over July and August for people to come and see in person in this unique display of local art. Each pair of white-on-white Air Jordans was hand painted by a local artist – Theopolis Smith, Michael Johnson, Karrington Thompson and Rocelynne Kennerck.

The sneakers are helping spread the word about the Urban League’s new fall fundraiser, a Sneaker Ball, but president Aisha Arrington says people should come out to see the sneakers because it’s a different way of showcasing local art.

“If you’re interested in art, if you wanna expose your kids or your family to different ways that art can be expressed, I think this is just an awesome opportunity for folks to see what our local artists were able to do," she said.

The Sneaker Ball is a reworking of the organization’s previous fundraising gala – a ball where everyone dresses up like normal but wears sneakers instead of heels or dress shoes. The ball will be held in September but tickets are available for purchase now at the league’s website.

The sneakers will be on display at Sweetwater starting July 15, but will travel around four spots. They'll be at Sweetwater until July 26, the art museum August 7-8, Embassy Theater August 9-19, and Impact Center August 20-30.

Ella Abbott is a multimedia reporter for 89.1 WBOI. She is a strong believer in the ways audio storytelling can engage an audience and create a sensory experience.