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- Happy Holidays!
- A Moveable Feast a Scrumptious Success!
On November 1st, 2008, Philadelphia's Magic Gardens hosted A Moveable Feast to celebrate Isaiah's art in Philadelphia and to show the city what a great performance venue the Magic Gardens can be. Performers included Lenny Seidman and Craig Ebner, Scrap Performance Group, Fuego Nuevo, Sheila Zagar and Mark D., and Kun-Yang/Lin Dancers. DJ RV finished off the night by setting the stage for an eclectic dance party in the unique outdoor space that is the Magic Gardens.
Aztec dancers Fuego Nuevo
Kung-Yan/Lin Dancers performing in Isaiah's studio
Craig Ebner on sitar and Lenny Seidman on tabla
Mark D. on didgeridoo
Thank you to everyone who came out in support of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens on November 1st. We raised over $15,000 to support our programs and events, such as tours for kids and adults, dance performances, concerts, and more.
- SPECIAL THANKSGIVING HOURS
- A Moveable Feast At The Magic Gardens
November 1, 2008
6:00pm
Great food, drink, music, dance, performances, film, a silent auction and, of course, art.
A Moveable Feast in the Magic Gardens will celebrate Zagar's unique artistic environment and help raise funds to support Philadelphia's famous mosaic labyrinth as we expand our programs and events.
Learn more and purchase tickets!
- September Workshop at the CHI Movement Arts Center
September 20, 2008 - September 21, 2008
12:00am
After visiting Kun-Yang Lin and his dancers at their new studio in South Philly, Isaiah has agreed to take on the building's front exterior as the project of his workshop on September 20th and 21st. The building is located on 9th Street between Wharton and Reed Streets, and serves as the site of rehearsals, dance classes and workshops for children, adults and professional dancers.
To celebrate the beautiful new facade, there will be an Open House at CHI Movement Arts Center on Sunday, September 21 from 4pm - 6pm. The celebration will feature a performance by Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, as well as performances by Flamenco del Encuentro, Bollywood/Bhangra Indian dancing, and a steaming hot Salsa number!
Please come celebrate with the dancers on Sunday with music and art! There is no charge for the Open House, but donations are appreciated and will benefit the non-profit Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers.
Please visit www.kunyanglin.org or call 267.687.3739 for more information.
- TIDE performed by Scrap Performance Group
September 10, 2008 - September 14, 2008
12:00am
 Join us for the Fringe Festival debut of TIDE, a dance-based theater performance that emerges from the mosaic labyrinth and into a precarious dance between hope and lamentation. TIDE is performed by Scrap Performance Group, this year's Magic Gardens Artists-in-Residence, choreographed by Myra Bazell, and illuminated in sound and vision by Madison Cario. TIDE is a moving conversation that grapples with the quest for eco-salvation as we ponder the question . . . How can we be sane when we are destroying that which sustains us?
For Tickets and show times visit the Live Arts & Philly Fringe site.
- Taking a short leave from his ongoing work in Philadelphia, Isaiah Zagar traveled to the shores of Lake Michigan in June to help kick off a fledgling Uptown Arts District in historic Racine, Wisconsin.
The city of about 80,000 residents is deep into an economic revival spurred by close collaboration between artists, politicians, and developers. After several visits to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens by Racine Mayor Gary Becker and Philly artist and Wisconsin native Patrick King, the Uptown Racine Arts District invited Zagar to help launch Racine's uptown art scene.
Zagar constructed the murals with the help of his wife, Julia, his former student and muralist from Minneapolis, Angie Talley, and the collected efforts of over 20 Racine residents. After completing a 200' x 12' mural, the group enthusiastically began work on a second mural that spanned 100' by 6.' Each mural adds vibrant pinks, greens, and oranges to Uptown Racine's urban environment. Just blocks from the edge of Lake Michigan, the mosaics depict enormous tiled faces and a mermaid bedazzled by mirror.
Seventy miles north of Chicago, Racine is pulling itself out of the ashes of industrial decline by transforming itself into an artist's paradise. In 2003, the city opened the Racine Art Museum, which now draws visitors from Chicago and Milwaukee, and in 2005, Racine unveiled a 100-unit Factory Lofts affordable housing complex equipped with a ceramics kiln, darkrooms, and ample gallery space. Then, in a move to promote public art in the city's Uptown area, the Mayor invited Zagar to lead the city in a week-long mosaic workshop. Adding to the week's creative festivities, Racine hosted a special screening of In A Dream, the award-winning documentary about the Zagar family and their artistic legacy directed by their son Jeremiah.
For more information, please see createuptownracine.com. - Summer Solstice Reverie Brings the Gardens to Life
June 21, 2008
6:00pm
On June 21st, the Magic Gardens came to life with music and dance as an eclectic collection of performers celebrated the longest day of the year. Presented and organized by Fire Museum Records, the Summer Solstice Reverie brought over 25 musicians into unexpected harmonies as they scattered themselves throughout the mosaic labyrinth. From ukuleles to tablas and bicycle wheels to horns, the instruments were almost as colorful as the walls that surrounded them. Members of Amnesiac Dance Company also performed, bringing an ethereal presence to the day's events.
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