Anyone who has spent much time in Philadelphia, and especially in the South Street area has seen an Isaiah Zagar mural. Made of broken, rejected, and custom made tiles, his murals cover the sides, and sometimes the insides and tops, of entire buildings - which are said to have been "Zagarized."
One of his earlier works is the Painted Bride Art Center. His outdoor sculpture and mosaic garden attached to his studio is easily visible from South Street. He arrived in the area in the 1960s - a sort of low point for the South Street area, before its current gentrification. In fact the entire street, which is now a well promoted tourist attraction was, at the time Isaiah arrived, slated for demolition so a cross town highway could be installed in its place.
Needless to say that never happened and Isaiah's murals have been spreading like an artistic virus all around our fair city. Amen!