PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Over the last month, Philadelphia’s art community said its final goodbyes to the Painted Bride mosaic that spanned a 7,000-square foot building facade on Vine Street.
This week, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens began what they’re calling the “reclamation process” — taking down individual tiles that can be salvaged and preserved.
“What we're hoping to do is create a new piece that will tell the story of what happened here,” said Emily Smith, CEO of the Magic Gardens. “Listing names, the text from testimony and letters that have been submitted … It won't be anything like this, but it could be something to memorialize what's happened.”
Once they’ve taken what they can, the building is going to be demolished to make way for a mixed-use building that will include apartments, a restaurant, and a community space.
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens aims to oversee and protect mosaics by Isaiah Zagar, the artist who made both the Painted Bride mural and the Magic Gardens art space on South Street.
They fought hard to save the Vine Street building once the Painted Bride Art Center put it up for sale in 2017. The developer even had plans to preserve the mosaic-covered walls and build above it, but a neighbor sued the zoning board and the plan was voted down in an appeal in state court.
Smith said the mural depicted people and stories from Philadelphia’s art community, and that Zagar learned how to mosaic while making this piece over the course of nine years.
“He kind of was starting in the back and learning the technique,” she said. “And so if you go to the building, the back sort of starts much more simply. And then by the time you get to the front, nine years later, it's like the most crystallized Zagar technique.”
Zagar is 84 years old and has lived on South Street since 1968. There are over 200 of his works in Philadelphia.
The Magic Gardens hope to preserve Zagar’s other works, but as with most public art, it can be a challenge.
“If it's on a privately owned building, there's real complexity there,” Smith said. “We are trying to form relationships with owners of those properties to show them there's value to this for you taking care of it. The Magic Gardens will come and repair mosaics, we do all that for free. You just have to reach out to us.”
The Jawncast explored more on the Painted Bride, Isaiah Zagar, and the purpose of public art. Listen in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.