Past Events
- Video of PMG's Walking Tours - join us every weekend!
Saturdays, 12:00 and 4:00 Sundays, 4:00
Garden entrance fee: $4 for adults, $2 for kids 6-12, FREE for 5 and under
Walking tour fee: $6 for adults, $4 for children ages 12 and under
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens will hold weekend walking tours of Isaiah Zagar's neighborhood mosaics from Saturday, May 16 through Sunday, September 20, 2009. Tours occur on Saturdays at noon and 4 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Approximately an hour in length, the tours will cover a myriad of mosaiced public murals on South and Bainbridge Streets between the 4th and 10th blocks. Including locations rarely seen by South Street visitors, PMG tour guides will discuss the materials, techniques, imagery, and stories of these artworks, while incorporating pieces of local Philadelphia history.
Entrance to the garden is $4, and for an extra $6 per adult and $4 per child, visitors can experience the neighborhood tour. Tours begin at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens at 1020 South Street. Interested participants are urged to book in advance through PMG's website (this option is soon to be added to our website) since tours will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Walk-up tour admission will be accepted but space is limited to 20 people per tour. You may call and book for a tour date in advance, but we require 24 hour advance notice if you cannot attend on your scheduled tour date.
Groups of 5 or more people that wish to book a walking tour outside of these scheduled times can contact Ellen Owens, PMG Education and Outreach Coordinator, at 215.733.0390.
- PMG visitors save with 6abc and PhillyFunGuide.com!
Saving with 6abc and PhillyFunGuide.com recently highlighted PMG as a great cultural destination that saves its visitors money!
Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is one of many arts and culture venues in the greater Philadelphia area that offer savings on events. Through the PhillyFunSavers eMail list, subscribers receive weekly notification of fifty-percent discount tickets for museums, concerts, plays, workshops, dance performances, and more. Those interested in taking an intensive mosaic mural workshop with Isaiah Zagar, keep an eye on your inboxes -- you never know when a discount is going to appear! First-time participants who book through PhillyFunSavers pay only $150 (a savings of $150!). - Weekend Site Tours of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
Each weekend, visitors can get an insider's view of the Magic Gardens. Enjoy a guided interpretive tour through the Magic Gardens main site and nearby mosaiced properties. Topics include Zagar's mosaic techniques and influences, the material used in the mosaics (with a particular focus on tiles and global folk art), the narratives behind his iconography and images, and the history of South Street and Philadelphia's Magic Gardens.
Tours take place Saturdays at 12 noon and 4 pm, and Sundays at 4 pm.
Site Tour Fees are: Adults $7, children ages 6-12 $5 and children 5 years and under are free.
Neighborhood walking tours are available durring winter months upon request for private groups. Please book at least one week in advance by calling 215.733.0390.
- Great Press for PMG
Friends from all corners of the Internet are singing the praises of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens! Check out some of the latest buzz about us:
Family Legacies: Jeremiah Zagar's In a Dream (Critics at Large blog)
A distant cousin of Zagar's reviews the documentary and celebrates the creativity and madness of their collective "meshuggah meshpucha" (crazy extended family).
The Magic Gardens: A Magical World of Mosaic Art by Isaiah Zagar (Associated Content)
Laura Lee describes the feeling of stumbling across Philadelphia's Magic Gardens while touring through Philadelphia.
Weird Getaways (Time Out New York magazine)
PMG is officially an "off-the-beaten-path oddity" that is not to be missed.
What's So Wrong With Philadelphia? (Philly Mag's blog)
Open your eyes, ditch your internal baggage, and take in the "village on steroids." - Music & Mosaic Concert Series: a stick and a stone album release show
July 24, 2010
6:30pm
Join Philadelphia's Magic Gardens on Saturday, July 24 for
the monthly Music & Mosaics Concert Series, celebrating the release of a
stick and a stone's new album, Opal Nightly.
Elements such as classical instrumentation, punk-infused chamber tones,
and supernatural vocals, teamed with multi-disciplinary performances of shadow
puppetry, narrative dance, and a whimsical short film, this
Renaissance-meets-folk-meets-girl-goth fusion is sure to be emotionally
moving. Chasing Arethusa , a self-proclaimed "Chamber Punk" band, is named after a story in Greek mythology in which Arethusa, a water nymph loyal to the chaste teachings of Artemis, is chased by an overly aroused river god, Alpheus. In the end, Arethusa escapes by transforming into a stream and flowing underground. This myth embodies the band's divergent arrangements with Arethusa representing the purity and beauty of the cello, viola and vocals and Alpheus representing the distorted guitar and dirty sound that seems to continuously follow without fully engulfing the purity.
Geppetta enraptures audiences across the country with imaginative puppet theater and artistic performance that is whimsical, yet political. Inspired by classic fables and myths, occult symbolism, street art, and surrealism, Geppetta is infused with a pension for social and environmental activism and trans-feminist sensibilities. In addition to the Tranny Roadshow, Geppetta's work has been featured in productions including The Femme Show, Fresh Meat, and Puppet Uprising. Adelaide Windsome, the inventive mind behind Geppetta, is a queer fabulist, street performer, multimedia artist, and art educator currently based in Philadelphia.
Movement Brigade creates dance-theater works that soak your eyes with visual narratives intended to encourage viewers into commentary about reality. The sometimes comical, sometimes emotional, and sometimes surreal movement aims to give weight and value to simply being alive. Movement Brigade was formed as a Philadelphia dance theater organization in June 2009 by Alie Vidich, the current director of the troupe.
a Stick and a Stone will be celebrating the release of Opal Nightly, the darkest album to come out of Philly's prolific songwriter, Elliott Harvey. With a beautifully eerie voice, Harvey sings of escaping religion and surviving mental illness amidst humming organs and wailing strings. The title refers to schizophrenic nature scientist Opal Whitely, whose mystical childhood diary was discovered and published in 1920, pieced together from scraps of paper she scribbled on as a seven year old. In a similar act of rediscovery, Harvey dug up a selection of songs he wrote as a teenager, and breathed new life into them with the help of old friend and recording artist Bill Moriarty. With a medieval harpist, an experimental bassist, two classical composers, and the drummer of a marching band, the album grew to include many layered textures of instrumentation. Available now on Exotic Fever Records, a Stick and a Stone's Opal Nightly is graced with freakish watercolor paintings and intricate ink illustrations. Taking its place alongside other deviant folk projects like Joanna Newsom and Cat Power, Opal Nightly will provoke your inner spirits to crawl into the wilderness and dream
As They Rode Along the Edge is a short film adaptation of the humorous feminist fantasy fairy tale of the same name. The author, Leonora Carrington, continues to inspire many across the world through her legendary novels, surrealist paintings, and inventive free thinking. Amongst the hordes inspired by her rich body of work, and collaborating for the first time after more than a decade of friendship, are Philadelphia artistic peers Mandy Katz and Justin Duerr. They began meeting in September 2009 for weekly drawing sessions, creating over 80 ink and watercolor paintings to illustrate the exquisite narration of poet Ish Klein. The paintings were filmed "flip-book style,” nested within a specially created candlelit altar. Joined by sound effects and a musical score, this independent world was created with handmade immediacy.
Square Pi, side project of performing and visual artist Bethany Dinsick, is a musical composition comprised of wordless vocals and sound landscapes of tinkling, buzzing, scratching and thumping all resolving continually into quixotic folk melodies. Dinsick focuses on using her vocals as an instrument creating a hallucinatory environment. Her album Bottle Tree is a "meditational R&B" sonic memoir, influenced by experiences including adolescent brain tumor removal, working in an intensive unit for Autism, and finding personal spirituality.chasing arethusa - myspace.com/chasingarethusa
gepetta - www.stitchingtentacles.wordpress.com
movement brigade - www.movementbrigade.org/
a stick and a stone - www.astickandastone.com
square pi - www.myspace.com/squarepi
darian scatton - www.darianscatton.comMusic & Mosaics is Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens’ BYOB concert series held on the fourth Saturday of every month. Concerts feature local artists of every style, from bossa nova to bluegrass. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for members or students.
- The Accidental Circus
July 17, 2010
8:00pm
Join The Accidental Circus for an evening of Darwinism in Action & Luscious Cabaret. Collaborators since 2002, these travelers are reuniting to tour in July 2010 bringing their curious side shows to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens on July 17. This show promises danger, humor, beauty, song, and strange social commentary. Ringleader and Juggler extraordinaire Paolo Garbanzo is the first American ever to become Jester of a European castle, and tours Europe and the US year-round presenting his original comedic material in three languages. Historical, hysterical, satirical, and interactive, this multi-skilled compere leads the Accidental Circus as Benevolent Dictator for Life, gathering artists from his travels to create an ever evolving collaborative cabaret.
Mab Just Mab, DC's Sideshow Girl, combines artistry and pain to create hilarious & compelling entertainment. A glass-walker, blockhead, escape artist and ukulele fanatic, she is a tenured freak at DC's notorious sideshow venue & museum, The Palace of Wonders. Mab has been featured in several documentaries and books on the sideshow revival, and performs solo with Accidental Circus and as a pillar of the Cheeky Monkey Sideshow.
The Mezmer Society demonstrates to the general public that, after a 60 year hiatus, it is once more permissible to dance to an accordion. The Hard-riding highwaymen of mayhem missionize the Mezmer gospel throughout the States. Zany bellydance antics, torch songs, and sinister accordionism are blended at high speed into a tall, cool, glass of delicious and intoxicating performance. The Mezmer Society creates an entertaining experience great for geeks, goths, and anyone who wants extreme festivity.
Sidetracked is a two-woman team from Philadelphia that bowls the crowd over with a high-integrity, rapid-fire, two-person comedic storytelling. They bring their considerable presence to bear on any audience, rejuvenating the classic Vaudeville genre, with contemporary subject matter and sensibilities.
Tickets: $10 online, $15 at doorTickets for the Philadelphia shows may be purchased at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/118326
Accidental Circus
www.accidentalcircus.com
Paolo Garbanzo
www.garbanzojuggling.com
The Mezmer Society: Luscious Cabaret & Balkan Ruckus
www.mezmersociety.com
Mab Just Mab
www.mabjustmab.com
Sidetracked
www.sidetracked.biz
- IRIS Performance Piece
July 16, 2010
8:30pm
A movement theatre work with projection and original music by New York artist Cynthia Berkshire,"IRIS gets ready for her date" presents the character IRIS undergoing a dark night of the soul. Moving about her bedroom, IRIS employs various objects to get ready, at times encountering a raw aspect of herself romping about, grabbing and tossing bras in the shadows. Reflecting on struggles women experience with their body image and self esteem, the character eventually uncovers something of herself and her spirit.
This work is still "in-progress," having been developed over the last three years through various performances around New York, and has been described as "raw," "iconic," and "cinematic."
Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling (215) 733-0390. Admission is $10.
Green Light Arts artist Ana Vizcarra will also be displaying her work, which was prominently featured during PMG's 2010 Summer Solstice Festival. Come relax with a magical, candlelit evening in our outdoor labyrinth as Ana showcases over 100 jar candles, each with a unique design honoring Goddesses and Feminine Archetypes. - Indie Film Series 2010: South Street Headhouse District
July 14, 2010
8:00pm
The South Street Headhouse District is hosting an Indie Film Series throughout the summer, highlighting Philadelphia-based films and filmmakers. Screenings are free and open to the public, and many evenings feature concerts from Philadelphia bands, as well as a discussion with the filmmaker, before the main event. The Indie Film Series continues each Wednesday throughout the summer, ending on September 1.
On Wednesday, July 14 at 8:00pm, visit Headhouse Square (2nd Street between Pine and Lombard Streets) to catch a FREE screening of the award-winning documentary, In a Dream, and hear from the artist himself, Isaiah Zagar.
For more details about the Indie Film Series, visit http://www.southstreet.com
