On the Map: Philadelphia’s Murals and The Magic Gardens
By Mark McNease
On the Map is a travelogue of places, restaurants and landscapes for your travel considerations. Sometimes near, sometimes far, always interesting.
I’ve recently been able to join my husband Frank and his hiking club for their regular Thursday hikes. Every now and then, one of the members, Doris, leads a group to Philadelphia for a walking tour to view their amazing murals, followed by a trip to the Magic Gardens. We drove to a park-and-ride in Yardley, PA, and took a train from there. If you’re 65 or older you ride for free (providing you’re from PA, NJ, or DE – New Yorkers have to pay, as we discovered when two visiting friends went with us).
The walking tour is delightful, especially if you’re already a fan of Philly, as we are. The murals are a community effort providing cohesion for the city’s residents as well as the immersive experience of art created by and for the people – whether you’re a city dweller or a tourist. There are lots of walking tours in every major city, and this one should be at the top of your list.
Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change.
For over 35 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts engages communities in 50–100 public art projects each year, and maintains its growing collection through a restoration initiative. Our core program areas—Art Education, Environmental Justice, Porch Light, and Restorative Justice—yield unique, project-based learning opportunities for thousands of youth and adults.
Each year, 15,000 residents and visitors tour Mural Arts’ outdoor art gallery, which has become part of the city’s civic landscape and a source of pride and inspiration, earning Philadelphia international recognition as the “Mural Capital of the World.”
Our second destination was Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens.
We’ve walked past this magical place many times on our trips to Philly, but we’d never gone inside. What a delight! This truly is a wondrous environment, with gems and bottles and wheels and art literally everywhere you look! It reminded me of a favorite bookstore, except instead of walls and walls of book spines, the imagination is fired by endless bits of art and creativity. The eye never stops roaming and finding things to marvel at. Not to be missed!
Mission Statement
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (PMG) inspires creativity and community engagement by educating the public about folk, mosaic, and visionary art. PMG preserves, interprets, and provides access to Isaiah Zagar’s unique mosaic art environment and his public murals.
Values Statement
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens:
- Champions originality and embraces the creative process unbound by conventional norms. This is exemplified by our thinking and actions, and the unique experience we provide our audience.
- Welcomes our visitors and staff with an open-mind. We believe in creating a safe space that embraces a diversity of culture, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, and physical or mental ability. Our policies and programming encourages connecting to others with respect and dignity.
- Values community. We unify individuals through shared experiences and build relationships with diverse Philadelphia residents, businesses and neighboring nonprofits.
- Believes in inspiring others. The artwork and programs provoke inspiration through curiosity, self-expression and awe.
- Approaches our daily operations, programming, and the interpretation of Isaiah Zagar’s art with a lighthearted, celebratory attitude. We believe in working hard while still maintaining levity and humor.
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (PMG) is an immersive mixed media art environment that is completely covered with mosaics. The creator, Isaiah Zagar, used handmade tiles, bottles, bicycle wheels, mirror, and international folk art to chronicle his life and influences. The space is made up of two indoor galleries and a bi-level outdoor sculpture garden.
As a nonprofit museum, PMG celebrates art in its many forms through community outreach, public programs, hands-on activities, exhibitions, and tours. We welcome everyone to explore the space and embrace the possibility of self-expression.
Click here for digital versions of our brochures.
History
Zagar has devoted himself to beautifying the South Street neighborhood since the late 1960s, when he moved to the area with his wife, Julia. The couple helped spur the revitalization of the area by renovating derelict buildings and adding colorful mosaics on both private and public walls. The Zagars, teamed with other artists and activists, transformed the neighborhood into a prosperous artistic haven and successfully led protests against the addition of a new highway that would have eliminated South Street. This period of artistic rebirth was coined the “South Street Renaissance.” After the street was saved, Zagar continued creating mosaic murals, resulting in hundreds of public artworks over the next five decades.