Open Season on Adams Tunnel Walls

At the foot of the stairs to the Adams House basement, a sardonic greeting scrawled in paint across the door frame greets residents: “Welcome, members of the ruling elite. View the amusements of the idle rich…”

These amusements were displayed in a wild splash of color last Thursday evening, when over 70 Adams residents gathered to leave their mark on the walls of their basement. The winding underground tunnels have displayed colorful murals and wall-paintings—full of pop culture references, sarcastic quips and Zen-like koans—before the randomization of Houses, when Adams was a mecca for artists.

Tutors and House Masters say they recognize turned artwork from as far back as 1989, but they think that the tradition actually has a much longer legacy.

And a bizarre tradition it is. Lauren E. “Orly” Kivett-Ripmaster ’03 calls the 130 basement murals “a bunch of eclectic quotes and artwork that epitomize Adams House.”

Although the murals change a few at a time from year-to-year as students paint over the oldest ones, this year’s painting party was the first major collaborative effort to give the entire basement a face-lift.

The party, sponsored by the House Committee, began at 10 p.m. and lasted into the morning. Altogether, the students are adding about 35 new designs, painting over many of both old and unfinished murals.

Before the renovations began, the old designs were photographed and filmed for archival on the House website.

The new murals range from fun to functional. Several especially playful murals featured cartoon characters.

Seven friends united to paint “The Seven Dwarfs,” with each one of them represented in one of the quirky Disney characters.

Julie B. Goldman ’05 says the group decided to paint on an whim.

“We submitted a form and didn’t know what we were going to do,” she says of the green slips of paper prospective wall-painters had to fill out in the weeks preceding the painting.

Another group of friends who work for the campus counseling group Room 13 devised a more practical plan: they decided to paint a permanent advertisement on the basement walls.

The black and white mural displays the signature graphic seen on all of the group’s posters and includes the phone number and location of the service.

“It’ll be a good thing for publicity, and it makes postering a lot easier,” says Peter C. Saldarriaga ’03.

Some seniors looking to bequeath their legacy to future Adams residents took a different approach.

A group of roommates chose a gray scroll-like design that offers advice to Harvard undergraduates.

Emma F.O. Wendt ’04 explains, “It is a list of things to do before you graduate.”

Or, as Lesley W. Ma ’03 calls it, “some stupid things we’ve done.”

Another tight-knit group of roommates chose a quote from C.S. Lewis about friendship.

Rebecca “Kate” McHugh ’03 laughs, “We’re not that artistic, so that’s why we’re doing a quote.”

The mural-painting was open to all current Adams House residents, and the range of artistic talents among the painters varied considerably as the few technical and serious-minded artists blended with students more inclined to paintball than painting. But artistic ability was certainly not a criterion for painting the landmark designs—only the desire to leave a message to posterity in Adams House.

Kivett-Ripmaster reveals her motivation for participating in the painting of the walls: “You pass this stuff every day, you read the same quotes over and over, so now we’re just revamping it.”

By painting a mural with her friends she indulged in one last bit of Harvard nostalgia.

“This is our last chance to do this, to leave our mark on our house,” Kivett-Ripmaster says.

Adams House Arts Tutor Jen Mergel ’98 meandered among the students at the party, offering pizza and jellybeans as well as painting tips.

“It’s been a full House effort and months in the planning,” Mergel says. “Even house master Sean Palfrey helped paint the tunnels to get them ready.”

The newly-decorated walls should be entirely finished by Arts First weekend.