The Magic Gardens: A Magical World of Mosiac Art by Isaiah Zagar

Many times when you are just taking a walk in a new city that is when you find some of the most interesting things and places. That is what happened to us in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But first here is a little bit of history on the artist and location.

Isaiah Zagar is an award winning mosaic mural artist. He has been all over the world and much of that is thanks to being in the Peace Corp with his wife for 3 years. He says his artwork is inspired by his travels and his personal connections that he has made with different artists and international people from all over the world.

Zagar's work can be found all over the city of Philadelphia. Over 100 public walls in the city display his amazing and unique art work. Since the late 1960s Zagar has devoted his time to making the city more beautiful, and that he has definitely accomplished.

Located at 1020 South Street we found a place that was full of everything that you could possibly think of, but it was absolutely beautiful and mind blowing on where Zagar even started. The name of the place is Magic Gardens and it is his largest public mosaic installation. This place proves that other people's junk can be turned into something just purely amazing.

Magic Gardens is a non-profit organization that is complete in folk art type of environment. The half block area showcases the sophisticated work of Isaiah Zagar, which I am telling you will leave you in awe looking at everything. It consists of objects that have been found or donated from the community all put together to make his final creation.

He started work on the 3,000 square foot Magic Gardens in 1994. His first project was to build a fence to protect it from harm. The next 14 years he focused on excavating tunnels and grottos, and everything else that went into creating the gardens.

When you stand back at take a good look at the gardens as a whole you wonder how he even did it all in 14 years. I just cannot fathom the hours of tedious work that it took. But you can definitely tell that he put his heart into it and art is something that Zagar really appreciates.

As you walk on the outdoor paths your eyes will light up and you will feel like you are entering a completely different world, a magical one so to speak. Inside the indoor gallery you will see hand made tiles from Zagar, mirrors that are in different shapes some broken some whole, plates, bottles, vases and bicycle tires that make awesome windows. There are also sculptures that are from Latin America and Asia. You will be surrounded by a bright mixture of colors of blue, yellow, red, pink, orange and so many others on the walls and ceilings of each room, even the bathroom is all mosaic.

As you look at the walls words like Revelation, solve, swings, changes, ever, and many others will be placed randomly throughout the mosaic some upside down, sideways and so on. Faces, hands and bodies that make you immediately think Picasso art, are also randomly placed throughout the mosaic tiles.

To walk through this place, it will cost you a whole $4. I could not believe how cheap it was for everything that you got to see. Kids 6-12 only cost $2 and under 5 years old you enter free. If you would like a guided tour those cost $7. I really wanted a guided tour but I guess we came at the wrong time for one. Oh well, next time for sure.

Hours of the park are Sunday to Thursday from 11am-6pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am-8pm. In all we took an hour a half to look at everything. But it is up to you on how long you take. It all depends on how much you want to look at. But if it is your first time there, you will want to take your time and study each area.

The next time I visit the gardens, I am hoping to get a guided tour, so I can understand more the meaning of all of the different pieces throughout the garden. I absolutely fell in love with Zagar's art and plan on searching more for his work in the future. All I know is that if you love art, this is one place that you do not want to miss out on seeing!