3.30.2010

My New Favorite Spot - Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

For the first few minutes my boyfriend and I were at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, we were speechless.  We stood, mouths agape, unable to move, speak or take it all in.  We literally stood staring.
  What we found was a massive outdoor labyrinthine of mosaic sculpture that spans a half of a city block.  

The artist is Isaiah Zagar.  His work can be found all over Philadelphia.  If you have visited Philadelphia, you likely have already seen his work even if you didn't realize it.

The walls of the labyrinthine are filled up with mosaic using all kinds of upcyled bottles, bicycle wheels, and other found objects.  It is my dream of upcycling and art plus a magical outdoor area all captured in one place. 
My words and the photos here cannot even begin to capture the magic of the place.


I didn't even mention the inside.  The inside is an art gallery.  Also completely done in mosaic.  

I wanted to move in.  (Actually, we were told that we were just a little too late for that.  There was an apartment for rent, and the artist will mosaic it for you!  But, alas, it was just rented.)

For all my photos of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, check out my full set of photos on flickr.  My boyfriend (Outta the Way) shot some video, too.  The video is on the Outta the Way YouTube channel.

So, if you find yourself on South Street in Philadelphia and have an extra $4 - I highly recommend you check Philadelphia's Magic Gardens out!  (Heck, if you don't have the $4, look for some change laying around.  It will be worth the effort!)

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