Adams Tunnel Murals Repainted

After an unusual four-year delay, the infamous Adams House tunnel murals were whitewashed and repainted last weekend.

"We usually do this once every three years," said Adams House Committee Co-Chair Amar A. Hamoudi `96.

"But last year we couldn't decided which murals to save and which to kill," he said, "so the repainting didn't get done in time for the end of the year."

Part of the reason for repainting, Hamoudi said, was that many of the old murals had been defaced a few years ago by an unknown party on a silver spray-painting spree.

According to Hamoudi, 112 Adams House student signed up to renew the murals. Each student was assigned a space on the tunnel walls and provided with brushes and professional-quality acrylic paints. Although aspiring artists were given free reign over their spaces, a poster warned against painting the stock phrase "[Blank] was here."

By yesterday afternoon, approximately 90 percent of the available space had been freshly painted over with various cartoons, images, song lyrics, excerpts from literature and poetry and brightly-hued scenery.

Several Adams House seniors interviewed yesterday said personalizing tunnels was an enjoyable way to leave their mark.

"I'm not normally a painter, but I'm having fun," said Will W. Minton `95.

Minton's two-part mural depicted a man carrying a guitar, a part of which metamorphosed into a briefcase-toting man in a suit.

"I'm graduating and I'm going to be pursuing a business career. I'm also a singer/songwriter and a musician," Minton said. "This mural shows how I'm torn between the two."

"It's also at a convenient place in the tunnel--it's at the crossroads," Minton added.

Michael P. Wertheim '95 said it was comfortingto know his painting--of two people sitting on ahill, looking off into the distance--would remainin Adams House after he graduate.

"If I come back to see it, it'll be here,"Wertheim said. "I don't have a big message, butit's nice."

Although many Adams House residents bemoanedthe whitewashing of the old murals, several saidthey were pleased with the way the bright acrylicpaints and the cheery images altered thepreviously grim character of the tunnels.

"I guess [repainting the murals] is a loss in away," Wertheim said, "But to tell you the truth,the old paintings represent and Adams House that'sno longer here."

"It's a great thing to see new murals," saidCecilia Gonzalo '96, who painted a combination ofjungle landscape and marine life with Carrie A.Miller '96, her roommate. "Sometimes it's good tohave change. It's a contrast to all the old morbidmurals."

"[The tunnels are] friendlier now," said P.Nikia Bergan '97, pointing out a wall whichfeatured a chocolate chip cookie recipe.

But some Adams House students interviewed saidthey felt the new murals lacked the true spirit ofunderground art work which pervaded the tunnels inthe past.

"The murals as they are now remind me of middleschool," said Anre M. Rubin '97. "The old oneswere really graffiti, and therefore interesting."

"I think in one sense the old murals were inbad condition, and repainting was necessary," saidVanessa L. Ryan '97. "It would have been nicethough, to have the repainting be morespontaneous--to be more like graffiti."

"I think the painting should have been doneover time, when people actually had something tosay," Ryan added. "That was more the spirit ofAdams."

Other passerby were unperturbed by the changes.

"It doesn't really matter," said Adams residentDavid J. Hutz '97.

Nevertheless, several muralists presentyesterday said the experience of working togetherto renew the tunnels was a way of celebratinghouse spirit.

"It was fun because it was a big bondingexperience," said Bergen, "Everyone was walkingaround saying 'hi' Everyone came down andparticipated."

Although most of the old murals were paintedover, Hamoudi said several--deemedindispensable--were preserved. House committeerepresentative and residents of Adams spent partof last Tuesday deciding which ones to maintain,he said.

"There are certain ones which are justclassic," Hamoudi said. "They couldn't go, becauseof their popularity."

Hamoudi singled out as an example a mural,retouched by Adam J. Cohen '95, which said: "It'sall true....it's a dirty house. They all sleeptogether. They all swim naked in the pool."

"We don't have a pool anymore, but we have thisreputation," Hamoudi said.

Resident art tutor Janet Echelman, who wanderedthe tunnels to offer students individualassistance and tips on mixing colors, expressedsatisfaction with the new murals.

"I think they look beautiful extraordinary."Echelman said. "The students showed ingenuity andcreativity."

Echelman said she was struck by the number ofmurals which featured verses from poets such asAdrienne Rich.

"There's a prevalence of verbal expression inaddition to visual expression," Echelman said.

"Also, there several strong feminist images,like a wonder woman, and an Adams House 'woman ofthe future'-- that's all new," she said

Michael P. Wertheim '95 said it was comfortingto know his painting--of two people sitting on ahill, looking off into the distance--would remainin Adams House after he graduate.

"If I come back to see it, it'll be here,"Wertheim said. "I don't have a big message, butit's nice."

Although many Adams House residents bemoanedthe whitewashing of the old murals, several saidthey were pleased with the way the bright acrylicpaints and the cheery images altered thepreviously grim character of the tunnels.

"I guess [repainting the murals] is a loss in away," Wertheim said, "But to tell you the truth,the old paintings represent and Adams House that'sno longer here."

"It's a great thing to see new murals," saidCecilia Gonzalo '96, who painted a combination ofjungle landscape and marine life with Carrie A.Miller '96, her roommate. "Sometimes it's good tohave change. It's a contrast to all the old morbidmurals."

"[The tunnels are] friendlier now," said P.Nikia Bergan '97, pointing out a wall whichfeatured a chocolate chip cookie recipe.

But some Adams House students interviewed saidthey felt the new murals lacked the true spirit ofunderground art work which pervaded the tunnels inthe past.

"The murals as they are now remind me of middleschool," said Anre M. Rubin '97. "The old oneswere really graffiti, and therefore interesting."

"I think in one sense the old murals were inbad condition, and repainting was necessary," saidVanessa L. Ryan '97. "It would have been nicethough, to have the repainting be morespontaneous--to be more like graffiti."

"I think the painting should have been doneover time, when people actually had something tosay," Ryan added. "That was more the spirit ofAdams."

Other passerby were unperturbed by the changes.

"It doesn't really matter," said Adams residentDavid J. Hutz '97.

Nevertheless, several muralists presentyesterday said the experience of working togetherto renew the tunnels was a way of celebratinghouse spirit.

"It was fun because it was a big bondingexperience," said Bergen, "Everyone was walkingaround saying 'hi' Everyone came down andparticipated."

Although most of the old murals were paintedover, Hamoudi said several--deemedindispensable--were preserved. House committeerepresentative and residents of Adams spent partof last Tuesday deciding which ones to maintain,he said.

"There are certain ones which are justclassic," Hamoudi said. "They couldn't go, becauseof their popularity."

Hamoudi singled out as an example a mural,retouched by Adam J. Cohen '95, which said: "It'sall true....it's a dirty house. They all sleeptogether. They all swim naked in the pool."

"We don't have a pool anymore, but we have thisreputation," Hamoudi said.

Resident art tutor Janet Echelman, who wanderedthe tunnels to offer students individualassistance and tips on mixing colors, expressedsatisfaction with the new murals.

"I think they look beautiful extraordinary."Echelman said. "The students showed ingenuity andcreativity."

Echelman said she was struck by the number ofmurals which featured verses from poets such asAdrienne Rich.

"There's a prevalence of verbal expression inaddition to visual expression," Echelman said.

"Also, there several strong feminist images,like a wonder woman, and an Adams House 'woman ofthe future'-- that's all new," she said