By Amy Fleck
With Covid-19 restrictions in place, many of us welcomed the arrival of warmer weather last spring. Outside activities allowed us to be a little less restricted while still being safe. Now that we are in the heart of cold weather, outside activities aren’t quite so fun anymore. The beach in the cold and wind and your winter coat, gloves and hat doesn’t have quite the same Zen-like relaxation vibe as it did in July.
So, what is one to do on a sunny but brisk day in January or February? Head to Firefly Gallery in Surf City, New Jersey and check out the building, which is covered in mosaics. Surf City is on Long Beach Island, about 1.5 hours from Center City.
The gallery itself sells jewelry, clothing and assorted cool stuff for your house, as well as artwork from local artists. The gallery’s owner, Joanne Dozor, herself a watercolor and mosaic artist has her work on display as well. For good measure, Dozor also gives classes at the gallery in watercolor and mosaic.
While there are always new and fun things in the gallery, it is truly the outside of the building that gets people’s attention. Even if you weren’t looking to shop, as you drive by, the sparkling building catches your attention. People are often seen stopping and taking pictures. No matter how many times you’ve seen it, each time you look you will invariably find some part you hadn’t seen before.
Because so much of the mosaic on the building is sparkly or shiny it’s often hard to take pictures that do it justice, hence my suggestion to go see it in person. It is really an impressive and encompassing display.
While doing some research on Dozor and the building, my interest was piqued by the connection to Philadelphia. Joanne is a “local” in that she is from Media, PA. More interestingly, however, is how she got her building covered in mosaics.
When Dozor bought the building in 2006, she commissioned Isaiah Zagar, the creator of the Magic Gardens in Philadelphia. Zagar was to conduct a one-day workshop where community members and local artists would help create and install murals on the building. It would be an exercise in creativity as well as an opportunity to learn mosaic techniques. Despite the many hands in the project, Zagar’s influence can be seen all over the building. You can see the influence of his travels and interest in folk art. There is even a nod to Picasso, which Dozor interpreted to be a Zagar self-portrait. There is also a large mermaid (something you will find frequently in her art) designed by Dozor.
After Zagar and his workshop participants finished, there was still plenty of blank space. In subsequent summers that has been filled in. What you see now is a façade almost entirely covered by mosaics. Dozor often uses materials she finds at vintage shops and garage sales.
I would best describe the Firefly Gallery façade as a mosaic made up of mosaics. Many different mosaic ideas, designs and materials all harmoniously connected to one another. Well worth the visit.