Past Events
- April Family Jams: Recycled Glassworks
April 14, 2013
12:00pm
PMG creator Isaiah Zagar does his part for the planet by including recycled materials in his artwork. Hundreds of multi-colored bottles, broken dishes, and bicycle wheels make up the outdoor labyrinth and tunnels of the Magic Gardens. Celebrate Earth Day with us by using recycled bottles and jars to make your own creation with colorful paper, sequins and more.
Family Jams are PMG's one-of-a-kind, family-oriented programs, featured every second Sunday of the month between NOON and 4:00 PM. Drop in with the whole gang for a variety of hands-on workshops and free kid-friendly tours at 1:00 PM & 3:00 PM. All Family Jams workshops and activities are FREE with admission.
- Crossing Cultures Tour and Talk
February 21, 2013
6:00pm
Crossing Cultures Tour & Talk with Isaiah Zagar
Thursday, February 21, 6:00PM-7:30PM
Transport to Peru in the 1960s! In conjuction with One Book, One Philadelphia (OBOP), PMG is presenting Crossing Cultures Tour and Talk. Visitors will begin with a tour of PMG's unique space, learning about cultural themes within the artwork with Education Manager Olivia Edlund.
Following the voyage through the space, participants will cozy up with wine and light refreshments to listen as Isaiah Zagar discusses his return to the U.S. after years of Peace Corps service in Peru. The evening will finish with free time to roam the exhibition El Viaje de los Ninos.
Admission is $16 per person. Reservations are required. For more info or to make reservations, contact 215.733.0390 or education@phillymagicgardens.org .
One Book, One Philadelphia is a project of the Mayor's Office and the Free Library of Philadelphia that has the goal of promoting literacy and encouraging the Philly community to come together through reading and discussing a single book. 2013 features The Buddha in the Attic, by Julie Otsuka. - Love is in the Air
February 14, 2013
6:00pm6:00 and 7:30 Tours SOLD OUT!
Fall in love all over again this year at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. Join us for wine and special private candlelit tours at 6:00 or 7:30 focusing on the many romantic aspects of our glittering galleries and labyrinth. Learn about the love story of PMG creator Isaiah Zagar and his wife Julia and how it has influenced his work over the years.
$12 per person, price includes wine. Reservations required. Call 215.733.0390 or email education@phillymagicgardens.org . Both the 6:00 and 7:30 tours are sold out. Please call to be added to the waiting list. - Ancient Mosaic Visits Philadelphia!
Penn Museum in Philadelphia is the final stop on a major US tour for a large and extraordinary ancient Roman mosaic only recently discovered and excavated in Israel. Unearthing a Masterpiece: A Roman Mosaic from Lod, Israel is on view at the Penn Museum February 10 through May 19—before it travels to the Louvre in Paris and ultimately, back to Israel and a new museum being built to house it.
Discovered in 1996 and excavated in 2009, the Lod Mosaic floor is believed to come from the home of a wealthy Roman living in Lod about 1,700 years ago. The Lod Mosaic is on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Shelby White and Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Center.
Watch the video of Isaiah Zagar visiting the Lod Mosaic!
Our very own master of mosaic, Isaiah Zagar, will be visiting the Lod piece to give his own first-hand impressions! We can't wait to hear his thoughts on this terrific and ancient artwork!
Yaron Sideman, Consul General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic Region, and a representative from the Israeli Antiquities Authority, join Italian officials and Penn Museum leaders at a public ribbon cutting ceremony Sunday, February 10 at 1 pm. The afternoon, free with Museum admission, includes a talk about the Lod Mosaic and a family workshop on mosaics.
Penn Museum invites us to join them for the ribbon cutting, or throughout the run of the special exhibition! To receive $2 off admission for adults; $1 off admission for senior and students, mention the code LodPartners at the entrance to the Museum (3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104). Their hours are Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM; Wednesday, 10:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
- PMG presents One Book, One Philadelphia Programs
January 25, 2013 - February 14, 2013
6:00pmOne Book, One Philadelphia is a joint project of the
Mayor's Office and the Free Library of Philadelphia that has the goal of promoting literacy and encouraging the Philadelphia community to come together through reading and discussing a single book. The 2013 program runs from January 17 to March 13 and this year's book is Buddha in the Attic, by Julie Otsuka. PMG will present the following programs, in conjuction with One Book, One Philadelphia:Philadelphia's Magic Gardens; Friday, January 25, 6:00-9:00 PMOpening reception for art exhibition by Mexican children that explores their immigration to the US. Refreshments for the opening reception are being generously donated from Tequila's restaurant!Reaching Across the Table: Improving Community Health and Wellness Through CollaborationFree Library of Philadelphia, Main branch; Thursday, February 7, 7:00 PMMulti-disciplinary panel discussion with stakeholders interested in community health through many approaches
Family Jams: Los Rumbos de Vidas
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens; Sunday, February 10, NOON-4:00 PM
Join PMG and artist Nora Hiriart Litz for a hands-on stamping activity related to the Aztec origins of Mexico and the work at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. Learn about the culture associated with this art and how it relates to the Japanese culture in The Buddha in the Attic. Spanish language tours offered.
Crossing Cultures Tour and Talk with Artist Isaiah Zagar
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens; Thursday, February 21, 6:00PM-7:30PM
Founding artist discusses his return to the U.S. after years of Peace Corps service in Peru; tour the 3,000 square feet of mosaicked space at PMG while discussing how themes fromThe Buddha in the Atticare shown in the artwork. Then cozy up with some drinks and light refreshments to talk with Isaiah Zagar. $16/person. RSVP to education@phillymagicgardens.org
- Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day at PMG
January 21, 2013
11:00am
TOURS SOLD OUT!The 11:00AM and 2:00PM tours are sold out! However, PMG will be open for regular admission from 11:00AM-5:00PM and will still have the special tile-making activity for visitors from NOON-5:00PM. Stop on by!
Martin Luther King Jr. had a profound influence on his community of Montgomery, Alabama, which then spread across the nation and around the world. His legacy of community service has impacted millions, including citizens of Philadelphia. Artist Isaiah Zagar, who embraced positive change for his South Street community throughout the years, has been inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. to commit the third Monday of January to his own type of community service: beautifying the neighborhood through public art. Zagar has spent many MLK Days in South Philly alleyways, creating murals to brighten the forgotten spaces of the city.
As part of your day of service, join us at Philadelphia’s
Magic Gardens, Zagar’s largest public installation, to create tiles reflecting your
dreams for change in our community and nation. The reverse-painted glass tiles,
a signature of Zagar’s, will be used by the artist as part of his newest public
murals. Participants will also have the opportunity to create "doily” tiles,
another Zagar trademark, to take home as a souvenir.Visitors can learn more about the work of Zagar and how he has shaped his neighborhood through one of two tours. At 11:00AM families can experience the Zagar method and make different types of tiles to take home. At 2:00PM receive an insider’s look at the space through a guided site tour and see areas of PMG not normally open to the public. Reservations recommended for both tours. Please call 215.733.0390 to reserve your spot.
Community Mural Tile-making, NOON-5:00PM, All ages, free with admission
$7/Adult, $5/Seniors & Students w/ID, $3/Children 6-12, FREE/Children 5 and underFamily Tour and Tile-making Workshop, SOLD OUT! 11:00AM, Families (recommended for children ages 3-12)
$12 per adult/child pair, $2 each additional family member
OR
$15 per family of up to two adults and three children
Prices include general admission. One guardian must accompany every three children.Guided PMG Site Tour, SOLD OUT! 2:00PM, All ages
$10/Adult, $6/Children ages 6-12, $3/Children 5 and under. Prices include general admission. - Isaiah Zagar project with Germantown Academy
Starting this past September, local artist Isaiah Zagar has been collaborating with Germantown Academy in Ft. Washington to create their own mosaic mural on the wall outside the school's Common Room. The mural is inspired by local wildlife and the school's connection with its natural surroundings. Zagar made sketches while walking around the Preserve and other areas on campus and used his drawings as the basis for the mural design.
Working with Zagar's design, the mosaic will feature tiles made by the students, faculty, families, alum and friends of Germantown Academy. The school even hosted a tile-making workshop for the community to become more involved. In addition to helping with the creation of the mural, Zagar is also giving presentations to the students about his work and inspirations. The project will culminate in a "Community Day" in April hosted by Germantown Academy where members of the community can meet Zagar and work together to complete the mosaic mural.Check out this article from philly.com about Isaiah's collaboration with Germantown Academy.Stay tuned for photos of the finished product! - Afternoons with the Artist return!
Do you have a question you've always wanted to ask Isaiah Zagar, the creator of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens? Maybe just how many bottles it took to make PMG’s colorful mosaic labyrinth, how Zagar has had the energy to build something so large, or who his major influences were? Now is your opportunity to ask the artist himself! Visit Zagar's studio between 1:00-4:00PM on the specified dates to chat with the artist and learn more about his glittering mosaic masterpiece!
These scheduled conversations are FREE with admission and will take place on the following dates:
Sunday, December 16, 2012, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Sunday, January 6, 2013, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Sunday, February 17, 2013, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
Sunday, March 3, 2013, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
- New audio tour available!
Download the free Lokadot app from the iPhone App Store to receive in-depth information on Philadelphia's Magic Gardens and artist Isaiah Zagar. Learn the facts and stories behind Zagar's mosaic works from PMG staff and the artist himself. Interesting, informative, and even humorous, this audio tour is definitely worth a listen!
Click to learn more about Lokadot, a great new interpretive tool!
- Indoor Mosaic Workshops with Isaiah Zagar!
March is the last chance to join Isaiah Zagar for one of his Indoor Mosaic Workshops! Work with Zagar in his studio as he teaches the art of breaking tile, cutting mirror, gluing tile, and grouting. Over these two-day long workshops, participants can learn his full method, additional techniques, and ask him the secrets of his trade. Students assist in a large-scale piece, and also create their own personal mosaic to take home!
All materials are provided to workshop participants. The cost for attending a Mosaic Mural Workshop is just $350 for new students and $100 for alumni.
Outdoor Mosaic Workshops will begin in April, weather permitting. Click on our Education page for more information and the dates of Zagar's Mosaic Workshops, or call 215-733-0390 to sign up!
