A real art project at Quinta Brunson’s former school in West Philly mirrors the ‘Abbott Elementary’ Mural Arts episode

The latest episode of “Abbott Elementary” features Mural Arts Philadelphia, and the storyline mirrors a recent arts project that really happened at show creator Quinta Brunson’s former school, according to a former principal.

In 2018, Fatima Smith applied to redo the exterior of West Philly’s Andrew Hamilton Elementary through Mural Arts. She was told a mural of that scale wouldn’t be feasible. She decided to look elsewhere for a way to get what she described as the school district’s ever-present funding struggles — a theme “Abbott Elementary” brings to the forefront. She was connected with the University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships, Smith said, which now maintains an extensive relationship with the K-8 school.

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