up. From then on, I would embed life skills
into sessions with the premise of just hanging
out and talking about sneakers.”
With his innovative and creative way to
connect with students and teachers, Walcott
began receiving referrals for other schools
and teachers, and before he knew it, he was
completely booked. Sneaker art creates an
approachable way for youth to tell their stories,
express their inner selves and explore subjects
such as relationships, gender, identity, life
challenges and other topics that, in another
setting, would seem off-limits to them. This
motivated Walcott to create MARTK’D as
he had found a way to bridge the gap, not
only for artists that require outlets but also for
institutions looking to engage with them. The
BATA Shoe Museum and the Royal Ontario
Museum, for example, benefit from having an
authentic partner that will help make artists,
creatives, and the community feel welcome in a
new space. Within nine months, MARTK’D
has worked with six universities, six major
brands and over 1000 artists. MARTK’D has
proven its solid ability to unify and organically
establish relationships between groups of
individuals and organizations alike.
“The Bata Shoe Museum was looking to
engage a new audience and it was a perfect
pairing. I spent five years working with them
around the sneaker exhibition and they are a
major reason I have the know-how to work
with brands and further the development
of MARTKD. I have had to be creative in
finding ways to build the brand and walk a
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