A Series: Walls That Speak

June 1, 2026

Beyond SCH Academy's classrooms lies a storied permanent art collection.

In this new series, titled "Walls That Speak," SCH's Director of Arts Megan Monaghan chronicles the masterworks that define our campus—exploring the history and heart of the pieces that inspire our students every single day.

Read about our Sol LeWitt conceptual wall drawings—one of the largest sustained exhibitions of his work in a U.S. academic setting; the jazz-inspired movements of Moe Brooker; the vibrant mosaic tilework of Philadelphia icon Isaiah Zagar; and the mission and life of Violet Oakley in the early 20th century, who believed that art could elevate civic life and learning.

For more than a century, our students haven't just lived alongside this collection—they've learned from it, often collaborating directly with the artists to bring these walls to life. Artwork from our permanent collection hangs on the walls in every division.

The Enduring Power of Oakley’s Triptych at SCH

As part of a new series about SCH's permanent art collection, Director of Arts Megan Monaghan writes about the Violet Oakley triptych in the Henry Library.

Over 119 years ago, in 1907, Violet Oakley created a masterpiece that still inspires at SCH Academy. She was a bold trailblazer who reshaped the role of art in public and educational life. As the first American woman to receive a public mural commission, she broke barriers in a field long dominated by men. Renowned for her mastery of large-scale murals and stained-glass design, Oakley worked in a Renaissance revival style, drawing from history, literature, and moral philosophy to create art meant not just to decorate, but to teach and inspire.

Best known for her spectacular murals in public buildings—including the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg—Oakley believed deeply in art’s power to elevate civic life and learning. That belief is powerfully reflected in the triptych housed in the Henry Library at SCH, a significant part of the school’s early history and a striking example of her educational vision.

Honoring the Magic of Isaiah Zagar

As part of a new series about SCH's permanent art collection, Director of Arts Megan Monaghan writes about the late Isaiah Zagar's artwork in Thornley Middle School.

Few artists have shaped Philadelphia’s public art like Isaiah Zagar. His mosaics, bursting with vibrant tiles, recycled objects, mirrored fragments, and playful imagination, transform ordinary walls into joyful, immersive experiences. From South Street to the hallways of SCH, his mosaic work invites viewers to slow down, look closely, and discover meaning in every detail.

Zagar’s visionary creativity transforms SCH’s hallways, where his mosaics in the Permanent Art Collection fill the Thornley Middle School Building with bold imagination and the spirit of shared creation. His work exemplifies SCH’s Walls That Speak series—telling a story, embodying a vision, and carrying forward Zagar’s legacy as an artist to inspire generations.

Zagar brought his artistry to SCH in 2006 through the Springside 1957 Artist in Residence Fund. Middle School girls helped create tiles and assisted in the installation of multiple mosaic works. Their collaboration reflects the heart of Zagar’s practice, rooted in community, shared creation, and the belief that art belongs to everyone.

Hearing Color, Seeing Sound: Moe Brooker’s Legacy at SCH

As part of a series about SCH's permanent art collection, Director of Arts Megan Monaghan writes about Moe Brooker's artwork in McCausland Lower School.

Bold, gestural, and deeply rooted in community, Moe Brooker's Untitled (2012), housed in McCausland Lower School, continues to speak to SCH every day. Bursting with saturated color, dynamic pattern, and expressive marks that mimic rhythm and movement, the work embodies Brooker’s vision of art as a living, collaborative practice. Music, particularly jazz, has long inspired Brooker, and his paintings often translate its energy into vibrant, improvisational forms.

Born in 1940 in Philadelphia, Brooker is nationally known for his vibrant paintings and fabric works. Over the course of his distinguished career, he received numerous awards, including the James Van Der Zee Lifetime Achievement Award, and has taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Parsons School of Design, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Moore College of Art and Design. He earned a BFA in 1970 and an MFA in 1972 from the Tyler School of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, with an emphasis on expressive visual language through rigorous study and experimentation. In addition to his studio practice, he has shaped generations of artists as a professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Parsons School of Design, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Moore College of Art and Design. His bold use of color, pattern, and gestural rhythm continues to inspire artists and communities nationwide.

Where Lines Became Legacy at SCH

As part of a series about SCH's permanent art collection, Director of Arts Megan Monaghan writes about the legacy of collector Hank McNeil' 61.

Through extraordinary vision and generosity, Hank McNeil ignited the SCH Permanent Art Collection on campus, where art sparks connection, fuels dialogue, and shapes the fabric of community life.

Within the Wissahickon Inn, where dark wood wainscoting, creaking floors, and architectural details dating back to 1884 hold the memory of another era, the walls become more than structure. They become a place of encounter. Across these historic surfaces, works by artists such as world-renowned conceptual and minimalist artist, Sol LeWitt unfold in dialogue between past and present, between handcrafted tradition and conceptual instruction, between permanence and idea, bringing his artistic legacy into lived experience and community.

Hank McNeil’s impact is best understood through his belief that art should be lived with. He saw collecting not as accumulation, but as a practice grounded in proximity, dialogue, and daily presence—where meaning emerges through sustained engagement. At SCH, this vision became a lived reality, as works on the walls moved beyond display to become part of how students think, learn, and connect.