Philadelphia honors Quinta Brunson with key, mural at alma mater that inspired ‘Abbott Elementary’

Philadelphia’s mayor honored actor and producer Quinta Brunson with a key to the city Wednesday in a ceremony dedicating a separate mural at Brunson’s alma mater, which was the inspiration for her show “Abbott Elementary.”

The producer, writer and comedian gazed at the shiny key handed to her by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and quipped: “Wow! I want to ask the question on everybody’s mind: What does it open?”

Brunson used the ceremony held at Andrew Hamilton School to celebrate the power of public education, public schoolteachers and music and arts education. Her parents and siblings were in attendance, along with Joyce Abbott, the teacher who inspired the name of the show’s fictional school, the “real life Gregory” and other teachers and classmates.

The mural, titled Blooming Features, was created by artist Athena Scott with input from Brunson and Hamilton students and staff. Its brightly colored depictions of real people from the school wrap around the outside of the school’s red brick facade.

Brunson described taking inspiration from the murals painted along her subway route as a kid, especially when she saw one of her own teachers featured. She said she hopes this mural has the same effect.

The actor said she nixed an initial mock-up brought to her by ABC that featured actors from the Emmy Award-winning show in favor of actual community members — because “that’s how you know there is a future.”

“You don’t need to see famous people on the wall. You need to see you on the wall,” she said. “Painted, beautiful. We are beautiful. It makes a difference. It made a difference for me, so I know even if it makes a difference for just one child, that one child matters.”

Jane Golden, executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia, said she was thrilled when Brunson featured her organization on an episode of the show. Philadelphia is ranked No. 1 in the nation for its murals.

“When people visit Philadelphia they are struck by the works of art that grace the sides of buildings in every single neighborhood of the city,” she said. “For us, this is a matter of equity. It’s great to have world class galleries and museums — that’s wonderful — but the fact that everyone everywhere can walk out the door and see large-scale works of public art that represent them, like the school here, that is awesome.”