This weekend, I took guests visiting Philadelphia to a place I have been wanting to see for quite some time. A relatively new tourist staple, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens on South Street represents a decade of work by famous mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar. In 1968, Zagar returned to his native home after serving in the Peace Corps in Peru with his wife. They took up residence on South Street where his gallery and works of art now stand. Over the decades, his mosaic murals covered the walls of many buildings throughout his and the adjacent neighborhood. He began the Magic Gardens in 1994 after filling the space that was his home, studio and gallery with mosaics. The vacant lots next door became his canvas and were saved from redevelopment in 2004 after a community effort to protect his years of effort. Tiled from below ground level to the tops of the adjacent buildings, the Magic Gardens is made up of smaller pieces and materials. Zagar used influence from his time in South America in many elements of the space, and they provide great opportunity for pictures of detail against the larger background. Dedicate about an hour of time to stop and explore the space as you make your way from Center City towards the 9th Street Italian Market. — Rob Setzman, digital coordinator and account executive