Created by artist Isaiah Zagar, PMG is a nonprofit art museum that inspires creativity and community
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Covering half a city block of indoor and outdoor space, Philadelphia's Magic Gardens (PMG) glistens with creativity. Artist Isaiah Zagar began tiling South Street in the 1960s and never stopped, eventually building a mosaic garden out of ceramic shards, broken mirrors, bicycle spokes, and vivid splashes of dyed cement. The tiled passages of PMG weave over and under ground, and perhaps more than anything through the mind of a dedicated and obsessed artist.
Last call to sign up for tonight's Ceramic Ornament Workshop! At 6:30 p.m. we'll be leading a fun hands-on workshop where you can make tile ornaments to give as gifts or hang on your own tree. There are a few spots left, so sign up now and join us!
FAMILY FRIENDLY Prices include general admission to PMG
One of the many names found in the walls at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is that of Octavio Paz Lozano (1914 – 1998). Paz was a Mexican poet, writer, thinker, and diplomat born to a prominent political family. His father had been an assistant to Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata and Paz’s family was exiled for a time, along with other Zapatistas. Ever prolific, Paz founded his first literary review at 18 and published his first collection of poems at 19. In 1937, in the midst of the Spanish Civil War, he attended the Second International Writers' Congress in Spain. There he stood with anti-fascists like André Malraux, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Neruda as Francisco Franco’s forces moved toward victory.
While in Europe, Paz visited Paris and encountered the surrealist movement which impacted him deeply. Paz’s work also included themes of existentialism, eroticism, Buddhism, Marxism, Hinduism, history, culture, and time. He wrote profoundly about modern art, even dedicating poems to the work of Balthus, Joan Miró, Marcel Duchamp, Robert Rauschenberg, and Roberto Matta.
Octavio Paz' name appears in the little room off the main courtyard at PMG where we store our recycling. Quotes referencing the "oculist witnesses" and Marcel Duchamp's The Large Glass can be found in the Gift Shop and in the hallway leading to the Back Bathrooms. Paz published the influential critical study "Marcel Duchamp: Appearance Stripped Bare" in 1970. Learn more about Octavio Paz Lozano via the link below, and keep an eye out for these references on your next visit to PMG!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavio_Paz
You know what day it is! We understand there are a ton of great organizations out there that all deserve love, however we're asking that you please consider Philadelphia's Magic Gardens when choosing who to support this Giving Tuesday. Your donations help us keep our doors open and continue to provide free and low-cost arts programming for our community. Click this link to renew your membership or make a donation. Every bit helps! 💙 https://bit.ly/SupportPMG
Our current exhibition, "Under $100, Under $1,000" features a wide variety of works by local Philadelphia artists, and they're all extremely affordably priced! If you're looking to add to your art collection definitely come by and check it out. But don't wait, works are selling quickly!
Pay-As-You-Wish Opening Reception: Friday, November 17, 2023; 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.On view: November 17, 2023 - January 14, 2024
It's ! Our gift shop has a ton of great items from Mexican folk art, to locally-made jewelry, to fun PMG merchandise. Stop by in-person or check out our online shop and get your holiday shopping done!
https://phillymagicgardens.bigcartel.com/
If you're looking for something to do with the in-laws this weekend, we recommend taking one of our guided tours! They provide some great background information on how Philadelphia's Magic Gardens was created. Tours are offered at 10:00 a.m. and Noon on the weekends!
https://www.phillymagicgardens.org/hours-and-admission/public-tours/
The Gardens After Dark starts next Friday, December 1! Visit Philadelphia's Magic Gardens after hours and experience our mosaicked space lit up by the glow of hundreds of colorful lights. Click below for your tickets!
$20/ Adults$17/ Students & Seniors$13/ Children 6-12$10/ Children 5 and Under$10/ PMG Members
Happy Thanksgiving! Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is CLOSED today for the holiday. We will reopen for our regular hours of 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. tomorrow, November 24! 🦃
Visitor Information for visitors to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens including admission cost, hours of operations and more.
We're excited to listen to this new five-episode podcast called "Art Outside" hosted by Conrad Benner! It features five local Philly artists who create public art (sometimes commissioned, sometimes not). New episodes will be released weekly through WHYY!
The new podcast from WHYY taps into Philly’s community of public artists, both legitimate and “non-commissioned.”
What's an art environment?? At PMG we define them as permanent large-scale artworks that encompass an entire space and surround the viewer. Their creators often have no formal art training and use unusual materials to elaborately embellish their environments. Their work represents their extreme individualism and is influenced by personal experiences or mythologies, and the artists’ devotion to their creations is often all-consuming and spans years or decades. Another cool tidbit: PMG is not the only art environment, by far! Click below to learn more:
We call Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens an art environment. Art environments are permanent large scale artworks that encompass an...
Looking for something fun to do AND a great gift idea for the holidays? In our Ceramic Ornament workshops participants will choose and decorate two ceramic forms – we have nine fun shapes! — and glaze a doily tile ornament inspired by Isaiah Zagar. We will fire these unique pieces in our kiln, turning them into enduring gifts or ornaments. Pieces will be ready for pick up beginning Friday, December 8.
Workshops will be offered at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 30, and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 2. Click below for more information:
FAMILY FRIENDLY $25/PMG Members*$40/Adults$37/Seniors & Students with ID$33/Children 6-12...
There's a brand new mural by Mural Arts down the street from us at the Charles Santore Library! It was designed by children in the neighborhood and celebrates sisterhood. Read more below, then go check it out at 7th and Carpenter!
The formerly white facade of the Charles Santore branch now features paintings that celebrate sisterhood and fun.
From now until December 23 we're participating in the South Street Holiday Haul! Visit local businesses and enter the raffle for a chance to win a South Street shopping spree! More information below:
Shop 'til you drop with the South Street Holiday Haul, light up with Tree and Menorah Lighting ceremonies, plus special holiday pop-ups!
Tonight from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. join us for the pay-what-you-wish opening reception for "Under $100, Under $1000!" We're so excited to share this show with you, which features the work of over 50 local artists. We hope to see you there!
Looking for a unique and heartfelt gift idea this holiday season? Make your own special ceramic ornaments! In our workshops participants will choose and decorate two ceramic forms – we have nine fun shapes! — and glaze a doily tile ornament inspired by Isaiah Zagar's signature tiles. We will fire these unique pieces in our kiln, turning them into enduring gifts or ornaments. Visit our website below for more information!
FAMILY FRIENDLY $25/PMG Members*$40/Adults$37/Seniors & Students with ID$33/Children 6-12...
"Under $100, Under $1000" opens in two days! Experience the work of over 50 talented local artists who are creating in a variety of mediums. Come out to the public opening reception this Friday from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.! Did we mention all works are for sale for either under $100 or under $1000??
https://www.phillymagicgardens.org/event/under-100-under-1000/
The fate of a fantastic local museum, The Colored Girls Museum, hangs in the balance due to the need for some zoning variances. Let's not lose more art in this city! Read more here:
The museum needs variances to continue operating out of private residence in Germantown.
This is such a wholesome and lovely addition to our neighborhood! ☺️
Sidewalk astronomers Brendan Happe and Bill Green look to expand minds by reconnecting Philadelphians to the universe.
It's PECO Family Jams day! Visitors to the museum between Noon - 4:00 p.m. can make their own found-object sculpture inspired by artist Clarence Schmidt, and can also enjoy family-friendly tours in our mosaicked basement. It's all free with admission, so come out and bring the whole crew!
PECO Family Jams are PMG’s family-oriented programs, held on the second Sunday of every month between noon and 4:00 pm.
Today from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Smith Playground is CraftNOW Create! Join us and a bunch of other arts organizations for a plethora of fun hands-on art activities. Stop by our table to make your own bottle cap mosaic magnet! It's free to attend! We'll see you there!
CraftNOW Create Saturday, November 11, 2023 10am – 1pm Smith Memorial Playground 3500 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia Questions? [email protected] Craft steps out of the studio and into the hearts of Philadelphians with CraftNOW Create! CraftNOW Create returns to the Smith Memorial Pl...
It's the final weekend for "Wildest Dreams: Works by Zeinab Diomande" in our galleries! Come experience this stunning collection of paintings and mixed media works which challenge monolithic stereotypes placed on the Black community by creating limitless figures dream-like spaces. Through high-contrasting colors and vibrating patterns, these celebratory and electric works create a childlike universe for Diomande's characters to interact within and shape their reality. On view through Sunday!
In "Wildest Dreams" Zeinab Diomande explores Black womanhood through vulnerable self-portraits in her inventive multimedia works. Diomande challenges monolithic stereotypes pl...
Today is "National Go to an Art Museum Day" and what better way to celebrate than to pay a visit to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens? Go ahead and take the afternoon off and discover something new. We're open 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.!
Go to an Art Museum Day on November 9 is just around the corner. We have the best reasons to celebrate and the best ways to get your inner artist on.
This Sunday from Noon - 4:00 p.m. is PECO Family Jams! This month we're creating fun found-object sculptures from a variety of materials. Join us for this activity and family-friendly mini tours, all free with admission!
PECO Family Jams are PMG’s family-oriented programs, held on the second Sunday of every month between noon and 4:00 pm.
As the 'Skin of the Bride' mosaic was removed from the former Painted Bride Art Center, admirers of Zagar stopped by the site to collect cherished tiles.
"Reflecting Revenants" is a pop-up photo installation by Amelia Carter and Beth Lewis that's part of the current 7th Ward Tribute in our neighborhood. There are 10 large-scale photos on display over 12-blocks, and they commemorate the lost history of the area, which once had the largest African American population of any northern U.S. city.
Definitely check them out when you're in the area!
“Reflecting Revenants,” an art installation in Center City by Amelia Carter and Beth Lewis, is part of the 7th Ward Tribute project.
Pasaquan, made by Eddie Owens Martin in Georgia, is one of our favorite art environments! Learn more about this vibrant space and its eccentric creator below:
Pasaquan, the visionary arts complex designed by Eddie Owens Martin, also known as St. EOM. Photo by Jennifer L. Mason. Venturing down an unassuming gravel road grown over with grass in rural Marion County, Georgia, you’re met by a huge pair of piercing blue eyes. Look around, and you’re met by ...
Your opportunities to view "Wildest Dreams: Works by Zeinab Diomande" are dwindling! Visit our galleries through November 12 to see these electric paintings in person.
In "Wildest Dreams" Zeinab Diomande explores Black womanhood through vulnerable self-portraits in her inventive multimedia works. Diomande challenges monolithic stereotypes pl...
Tonight from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. is Magic Mart!! Come on out for a funky vendor fair in our mosaicked museum. Admission is free and there will be a ton of local artists selling their goodies! More info here:
Join PMG, South Street Art Mart, and BridgeSet Sound for a special vendor fair!
Have a safe and happy Halloween! 🐈⬛🎃💀
Magic Mart is coming up on Thursday! This vendor fair is the first of its kind at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, and we're excited to be partnering with South Street Art Mart and Bridgeset Sound for this event! Come out and peruse a great selection of locally-made jewelry and other goodies. 5:30 - 8:30 PM!
Join PMG, South Street Art Mart, and BridgeSet Sound for a special vendor fair!
We've been fans of Kambel Smith's work for a while, but this 26-foot cardboard recreation of the Burj Khalifa is out of this world! Read on to learn more about this Philadelphia-based artist and his incredible sculptures: https://bit.ly/3tPyqx7
Article and photo from Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens collaborated with artist Ivonne Pinto-Garcia to create a special Dia de los Mu***os ofrenda, or altar, in our Back Gallery. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. An ofrenda is an altar built to honor lost loved ones and made to connect both worlds, the living and the dead. Guests to the museum are welcome to leave notes or photos in remembrance of loved ones who have passed. The ofrenda will be on view through Monday, November 6.
https://bit.ly/3QduCgG
Tonight is the final Twilight in the Gardens of the year! We still have some tickets left, so follow the link below to get yours and join us for a live performance by Black Buttafly and a monster magnet activity with artist Emily Smith! BYOB, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Tickets here -----> https://bit.ly/404rok9
There are still a few spots left on our Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Workshops this Sunday! Join us at either 2:00 or 3:30 p.m. to learn about this important celebration and decorate your own sugar skulls to take home. More information below:
FAMILY FRIENDLY All prices include general admission to PMG$7/PMG Members*$22/Adults$19/Senio...
We recently worked with Maestro Filmworks to capture the story of the Painted Bride mural and record Julia Zagar's thoughts on the loss of this artwork. You can watch below or on our Youtube page:
To hear Julia Zagar's thoughts on the loss of the Painted Bride mural you can read her recent letter to the editor from the Philadelphia Inquirer here:
Inquirer readers on protecting the arts in Philly, the growth of antisemitism, and City Council's condemnation of Hamas.
Join PMG, South Street Art Mart, and Bridgeset Sound for a special vendor fair on November 2 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.! Shop for unique jewelry and other handmade items created by local artists while experiencing the glittering mosaics of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens after hours. A DJ will provide a lively backdrop of vinyl tunes while you peruse the selection. Admission to Magic Mart is free! Come on out and shop local!
Vendors Include:
Caroline Oddo
Gay Clay
Skullduggery Studio
JFox Jewelry
Tiffany Searles
Stitch Prism
Sick Wax World
NOSHADE
Snug Baby
Lynnette Munoz
Jay McQuirns
Stevie Laney
…and more!
Join PMG, South Street Art Mart, and BridgeSet Sound for a special vendor fair!
This Friday enjoy a live performance by Black Buttafly and a monster-magnet activity with Teaching Artist Emily Smith at Twilight in the Gardens! BYOB and join us from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. in our sparkly mosaicked space. It's the last Twilight of the year, so don't miss out!
$25/ Adults$20/ Students & Seniors$16/ PMG Members
1020 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
19147
| Monday | 11am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 11am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 11am - 6pm |
| Friday | 11am - 6pm |
| Saturday | 11am - 6pm |
| Sunday | 11am - 6pm |
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We recently worked with Maestro Filmworks to capture the story of the Painted Bride mural and record Julia Zagar's thoughts on the loss of this artwork. You can watch below or on our Youtube page:
Artist Isaiah Zagar created more than 200 mosaic murals throughout Philadelphia, but his “Skin of the Bride” on the former Painted Bride Art Center at 230 Vine Street is one of the most monumental. The fully embellished building, from street to roofline, is the first example of this style, which Isaiah then used in the creation of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (PMG). Sadly, the mural’s days are numbered. After many years of petitions and hearings, the building is now slated for demolition. During this short talk we celebrate this Philadelphia treasure. Discover the history of the groundbreaking Painted Bride Art Center and how Isaiah began mosaicking their building. Look closely at one-of-a-kind handmade elements referencing famous artists, Philadelphia history, and personal stories. We’ll also talk about the years-long fight to save this work, and the importance of work like this around the city and the world.
TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image
N American Street
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