Editing Isaiah Zagar (section)

== Early Life and Training ==

Isaiah Zagar was born on October 31, 1939, in Philadelphia, growing up in an artistic household that nurtured his creative development. He studied at the Pratt Institute in New York and later served in the Peace Corps in Peru, where exposure to folk art traditions profoundly influenced his subsequent work. The colorful, pattern-rich approaches he encountered in South America, combined with his formal art training, created a distinctive aesthetic that would characterize his Philadelphia murals.<ref name="mural">{{cite book |last=Golden |first=Jane |title=Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell |year=2002 |publisher=Temple University Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

His return to Philadelphia in the late 1960s coincided with South Street's decline, the neighborhood threatened by planned highway construction that would have demolished much of the area. Zagar and his wife Julia opened the Eyes Gallery on South Street in 1968, selling Latin American folk art while becoming advocates for the neighborhood's preservation. Their commitment to South Street during its troubled years positioned them to benefit from and contribute to its eventual revival.<ref name="zagar"/>

The abandoned lots and deteriorating buildings that characterized South Street provided Zagar with surfaces for his artistic vision. He began covering walls with mosaics, transforming eyesores into attractions that contributed to changing perceptions of the neighborhood. His work demonstrated how public art could contribute to neighborhood revitalization, creating beauty from neglect while attracting visitors whose spending supported local businesses.<ref name="mural"/>