Education Overview

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens provides several educational opportunities that help visitors understand and appreciate Isaiah Zagar's works of art, mosaic and "outsider" art, and Philadelphia history. With tours, hands-on activities, workshops, and other public arts events, PMG offers progressive interpretive programs to serve the local community and visitors from around the world. Educational programs are available for all age groups.

Topics that can be explored through Philadelphia's Magic Gardens educational programming include:

Mosaics Around the World — Mosaic artworks of ancient Byzantine, Greek, Roman, and Macedonian cultures, as well as present-day mosaics

Found Object Art — Artists Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Marcel Duchamp, and others have found beauty in discarded objects, using them to create powerful artworks

Art Historical Influences — A wide variety of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Jean Dubuffet, Curt Schwitters, and Diego Velasquez have influenced Zagar in his artistic pursuits

Folk and Multi-Cultural Art — Traditional sculptures and carvings from artists in India, Bali, Peru, and Mexico are embedded throughout the walls of PMG

Self-Representation and Identity — Portraits of the artist, images of man and woman, molds of human faces, hidden mosaic facial imagery, and the viewer's own mirror reflection

Recycling and Reuse of Materials — Artists, designers, and scientists have embraced recycled materials to build "green" spaces and create new objects from old ones

Philadelphia History — Many changes occurred on South Street and in the surrounding neighborhood throughout the years, including the story of the "South Street Renaissance"