Shikow: Shikow Correspondent Tornadoes Through Philadelphia

Welcome to Sogee's experience of Philadelphia. Our trip includes some of the finest pieces on exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as numerous photos of eating cheesesteaks.

No trip could begin without an homage to Rocky Balboa. Although we have pics of the marvelous Sogee holding her hands above her head on the top of the museum's steps, officials here at Shikow withdrew our pledge for them to be included, citing a certain VP's interest in only offering photos that showed our talent correspondent in only the most alluring and sophisticated of poses.

"No pose would be complete without a sleek urinal circa 1917," Our travel correspondent said, after inspecting Marcel Duchamp's Fountain for vestiges of other "found" objects. "Can you smell that? It's the epitome of cleanliness?"

Sogee was fascinated with Cy Twombly's, Fifty Days of Illiam, an interpretation of Homer's Illiad.

She thought Jackson Pollock's pre-drip painting collages were reminiscent of my work.

"Mmmm," I said.

I would have rather she pointed at the Picasso.

Even Cy Twombly would have been a better comparison.

I understand though. I am a self-taught artist. They taste different to the eyes. It's almost like finding things in the street. You don't know if it's art or not. It takes a closer inspection to see if what you're seeing is the real thing.

"That's right, folks!" Sogee says into the microphone by her recorder. "We are here on South Street. The home of cheesesteaks, Bel Biv Devoe, and the "Magic Gardens" of Isiah Zagar."

Zagar has been a major attraction on South Street. People stop by his "...Gardens" regularly, and often come to the city for specifically that purpose. I first saw his work in 1996. It was an epiphanous moment about how art can transform a city and be a community act simultaneously.

To help Zagar continue to change the face of Philadelphia, you are welcome to make a donation and receive an original mural as well.