Walking through the halls of Germantown Academy (GA), it is hard to miss the array of mirror shards, miniature pottery projects and vibrant colors that coalesce in GA’s mosaic mural that fills the hallway between the Honickman Auditorium and our cafeteria. The mural, inspired by the Wissahickon Creek that runs through our campus, brings color and life to our community as students pass by it each day.
Constructed in 2013, it was created with the guidance of award-winning Philadelphia artist Isaiah Zagar.
“He was the most generous, welcoming, giving artist, like he just was on a mission to bring all of this sparkling greatness to our region and beyond,” Ms. Sara Ritz, Upper School Art Teacher and Co-founder of Art Across the Academy, said. “He was really easy to work with, really generous, kind, funny, loves kids, amazing.
Zagar passed away Feb. 19, 2026. It was a significant and devastating loss for many people across the Philadelphia community.
Here at GA, his memory and spirit will live on in the collage of colors and mediums embedded in our walls.
“I think [the mural] is a happy space for a lot of people,” Ms. Jessica Grisafi, Lower School Art Teacher and Co-founder of Art Across the Academy, said. “We walk through, especially on a sunny day, the light reflecting off of the mirrors and sort of dancing through the hall. It’s a space for light and life and laughter and joy.”
The process of making this now iconic piece of GA artwork began after Ms. Ritz and Ms. Grisafi devised the idea that they wanted to create a project that brought the entire GA community together. After finding inspiration in Zagar and many of his prior works in Philadelphia, Ms. Grisafi and Ms. Ritz reached out to see whether he would be willing to help with the project, despite concerns that he might not, since he was such a renowned artist. However, the two art teachers were met with enthusiasm from Zagar, and so soon they got to work.
“Isaiah has this very settling, comforting energy as soon as you meet him,” Ms. Grisafi said. “He has this warm smile, like he kind of felt a little bit like a grandpa. Everybody just felt really comfortable with him right away.”
The project’s goal was to involve the entire community, from GA’s newest members in the childcare center to its veterans. And Zagar was there to help anyone and everyone.
“He would meet you wherever you were,” Ms. Ritz said. “He had such a sparkle in his eyes, and a childlike quality that was reflected and magnified in the people that he worked with.”
A product of all the time, work and care put into it, the sparkling mural now greets students each time they pass by.
“[The mural] is something really beautiful that you can walk past every day,” Faith Geissele ‘26 said. “It brightens your day,”
Zagar’s creative pursuits stretched far beyond GA’s halls, however, as his art can be found on walls across Philadelphia.
“He had a desire to cover as much acreage, land, wall space that he could with images, materials, textures to reflect the people and the place, and his experience of the world,” Ms. Ritz said. “And I think that’s pretty special.
Known for his use of mirrors and incorporation of ceramics, color and all sorts of other fragmented objects in his murals, his work serves a unique contribution to the landscape of our wider Philadelphia community.
“I feel like he’s somebody that everybody knows in Philadelphia, he’s just one of those staples,” Ms. Grisafi said. “And if they didn’t know his name, his work is ubiquitous. If you drive through that area, can’t help but to notice it.”
Zagar’s largest and most famous work is Philadelphia’s very own Magic Gardens. It stretches over 300,000 square feet and not only includes Zagar’s mosaics, but also indoor galleries of other artists’ works and an outdoor labyrinth.
“[The Magic Gardens] is this mosaic of people and experiences, and it’s that mixing of all that and putting it together that makes our city what it is, and makes it so special,” Ms. Ritz said.
Zagar’s over 200 murals across Philly remain today to be appreciated, and are not expected to be leaving any time soon.
“I think he’s going to be a forever artist that will go down in history in Philadelphia,” Ms. Grisafi said.
Zagar was an icon in our community as he established so much beauty across our area, and many feel fortunate to have had him leave his mark on GA.
“That mural that we get to live with is playful and happy and improvisational, and teaches us to be aware and look for details and have a commitment to seeing a little bit more each day in the world around us,” Ms. Ritz said. “[…] I hope [students] remember him every time they walk by that mural, because even the kids that are younger and didn’t have a chance to work with him, his work is so powerful that all the things we talk about, the messages that I think he was trying to impart with his work, seep in when you live with art and really becomes part of who you are.”
Isaiah Zagar has touched so many people throughout his life, whom he has genuinely impacted with not only his artwork but also his character. Although he may be gone, his spirit will continue to live on in the students of Germantown Academy, the streets of Philadelphia and every other person he has touched along the way.