Happy City News invites you to step inside Philadelphia’s most glittering half-block: Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, the immersive mosaic art environment created by artist Isaiah Zagar at 1020 South Street — a labyrinth of tunnels, grottos and sparkling walls built from handmade tiles, bottles, bicycle wheels, mirrors and folk art from around the world.
The story begins in 1968, when Isaiah and Julia Zagar moved to South Street and devoted their lives to beautifying the neighborhood; Julia opened the Eye’s Gallery folk art shop, and Isaiah went on to mosaic more than 200 walls and buildings over 50 years. At 58, after covering his own studio inside and out, he began sculpting the vacant lots next door — land he did not own — embellishing the South Street fence and building structures from found objects, until every surface shimmered.
In 2004, the lots’ owner decided to sell and called for the work to be dismantled. Neighbors, lawyers and art lovers refused to watch it disappear: the creation was incorporated as the nonprofit Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens to preserve it forever. Zagar then dug deeper — literally — excavating tunnels and grottos and completing the major structures by 2008. Today the museum combines two indoor galleries with a bi-level outdoor sculpture garden, all of it chronicling the artist’s life and influences in tile and glass.
The Magic Gardens Museum is open Wednesday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed Tuesdays), with guided tours, hands-on art experiences and family programs. Bring the kids, bring a camera — and give yourself time to get happily lost.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
