“a folk art wonderland”
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is a non-profit organization, folk art environment, and gallery space on South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To date, it is the largest work created by mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. The Magic Gardens spans three city lots, and includes indoor galleries and a large outdoor labyrinth. 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. Isaiah Zagar is an award-winning mosaic mural artist whose work can be found on over 100 public walls throughout the city of Philadelphia and around the world. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Brooklyn, Zagar received his B.F.A. in Painting and Graphics at the Pratt Institute of Art in New York City. When he was 19 years old, Zagar discovered the folk art installations of Clarence Schmidt in Woodstock, New York. Influenced by Schmidt, Picasso, Jean Dubuffet, Kurt Schwitters, Antonio Gaudi, Simon Rodia and Joseph Ferdinand Cheval, he was inspired to include the concepts of untrained artists as manifestations of fine art.
Definitely a surprise to walk past this doorway on a recent trek through Philly - the 'garden' is an amazing feat and it's mosaic covered stairways and alleys are well worth checking out. The fee is reasonable and the exhibit is bigger than you would first think. Can't imagine the number of man hours to go into it.
Such a cool garden full of weird things in the middle of the city. I stumbled upon this in Philly and thought I was in a different dimension. It's amazing to think how much time and effort went into building it. Do yourself a favor go here! And bring a camera because you'll get some awesome shots.
Do not miss this if you're in Philly. I've been here a few times and see something new with every visit.
This was really neat to see, but unfortunately is not free. There is a $10 charge to see it in its entirety, but our group opted to just take a few photos from the street. Good luck with parking also. Be prepared to walk a few blocks, and be sure to look out for”No Parking” zones. This city is known for its parking authority.
This was well wroth 20 dollar enter, for my children and I. Really want to take your time exploring the art.
We stopped in Philadelphia for a night on our east coast road trip and went to this place on a whim. It is AMAZING. A favorite stop of our entire trip. It costs like $10 for adults (discounts for kids, seniors, students) and is an experience worth about 10x that much. It is a ~must see~ if you’re even remotely in the area.
I’ve been here a couple times, and I wouldn’t hesitate going again. So beautiful
This was such a magical place. How can a place with so much stimuli make one feel so peaceful?! It’s a must see! Be sure to purchase tickets in advance because they sell out.
Amazing!
Amazing place. My kids loved it.
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Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
Hours
- Sun, Mon, Wed, Thu: 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
- Fri, Sat: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
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