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Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is a non-profit organization, folk art environment, and gallery space on South Street in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. To date, it is the largest work created by mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
artist Isaiah Zagar
Isaiah Zagar (born 1939) is an American mosaic artist based in Philadelphia. He is notable for his murals, primarily in or around Philadelphia's South Street.
Early life
Zagar received his Bachelor of Arts from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, ...
. The Magic Gardens spans three city lots, and includes indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by t ...
. The mosaics are made up of everything from kitchen tiles to bike wheels, Latin-American art to china plates. The space is open for public view, from 11:00-6:00 Wednesday through Monday and closed on Tuesdays.
History
Isaiah and his wife Julia moved to South Street in 1968, when the area was being slated for demolition by the city in order to create the Crosstown Expressway ( I-695), which would have linkedI-76
Interstate 76 may refer to:
Interstate Highways in the United States
* Interstate 76 (Colorado–Nebraska)
* Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey), running through Pennsylvania
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* ''Interstate '76
''Interstate '76'' is a vehicular ...
and I-95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
. Due to this proposed construction, the area was desolate and dangerous. The Zagars were one of the first people to come to this area and begin to turn its image around. They opened the Eyes Gallery on 402 South Street, which was the first property that Isaiah would mosaic. Here they still showcase and sell the art of Latin-American artists.
After the Eyes Gallery, the Zagars went on to purchase and rent out several other buildings, and Isaiah would go on to create several other mosaicked spaces and public murals. He bought the building that currently houses Philadelphia's Magic Gardens in 1994. He fenced off the two vacant lots next door in order to keep out garbage and vermin, and over the next fourteen years began creating the Magic Gardens. In 2002, the landowner of the two vacant lots wanted to sell the land due to rising property values on South Street. Together with members of the community, Isaiah was able to purchase the lots. With this purchase, "Philadelphia's Magic Gardens" was born, and in 2008 it opened to the public, dedicated to inspiring creativity and community engagement.
Much of the work in the garden was influenced by and includes objects from Zagar's international travels, including but not limited to Latin America, India, Morocco, Iran, China, and Indonesia. Specific art exhibits around the world, such as The Ideal Palace, in France, Watts Towers
The Watts Towers, Towers of Simon Rodia, or ''Nuestro Pueblo'' ("our town" in Spanish) are a collection of 17 interconnected sculptural towers, architectural structures, and individual sculptural features and mosaics within the site of the artis ...
in Los Angeles, The Rock Garden
The Rock Garden was a music venue located at 6/9 The Piazza, Covent Garden in London.
Opening in 1976, the basement venue hosted thousands of live music acts and became popular with up-and-coming punk rock and new wave artists of the time. It has ...
in India, and Las Pozas
Las Pozas ("the Pools") is a surrealistic group of structures created by Edward James, more than above sea level, in a subtropical rainforest in the Sierra Gorda mountains of Mexico. It includes more than of natural waterfalls and pools interla ...
in Mexico, were also heavy influences that one sees in the Garden.
Present day
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is a total of of mosaiced space. The interior gallery space hosts artists from all over the world and exhibits artwork that has ties to the organization's mission in some way - whether ceramics, mosaics, or "outsider" art. Philadelphia's Magic Gardens also has educational programming, performances, tours, and mosaic workshops, all of which are open to the public. Zagar continues to create mosaic murals on the streets of Philadelphia, hundreds of which can be seen in or around the South Street area.
See also
*'' In a Dream (film)'' *List of public art in Philadelphia
This is a list of public artworks in Philadelphia. The Association for Public Art estimates the city has thousands of public artworks; the Smithsonian lists more than 700. Since 1959 nearly 400 works of public art have been created as part of ...
References
*http://articles.mcall.com/2010-11-13/travel/mc-magic-garden-1114-20101113_1_mosaics-isaiah-zagar-ceramic-tilesExternal links
* {{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Philadelphia Culture of Philadelphia Mosaics Tourist attractions in Philadelphia Visionary environments South Philadelphia Outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia