Ep. 138: Chris Donovan

Welcome, Chris Donovan, a shoe designer! Chris lives in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and has had a passion for shoe design since high school. Chris says, that he never thought, "it was a feasible career for me."

So, Chris Donovan did the "sensible thing" and got a job at the phone company. He worked there as a repairman for 25 years. However, he says that "all those years I never stopped sketching shoes."

At 50 Chris was diagnosed with cancer but it was caught early and cured. He says, "It changed my priorities." He left his job and went to Italy to pursue a Masters's Degree in Footwear from the Polimoda Fashion Institute in Florence, Italy, "one of the best fashion schools in the world.

After graduating he started his own shoe line because he wanted the world to see his designs.  Chris Donovan has shown at Dutch Design Week, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. He has also been on Project Runway and met Tim Gunn.

The Artists Index co-founder and Visual Arts Podcast Host, Ron Fortier, talks with Chris Donovan about his background, passion, and path to his dream. This episode was recorded with Zoom in 2023. We continue using Zoom, our podcast host's studios, and our studio at the Spectrum Marketing Group in Howland Place in New Bedford.

The In-Focus Podcasts are up close and personal conversations with the makers, performers, supporters, and cultural impresarios of the remarkable creative community of South Coast Massachusetts including New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Westport, and beyond.