The Fence was first built in 1923 as a place for seniors to sit. It soon expanded far beyond its original purpose and began to be painted with slogans, campus news, and other "unsanctioned announcements and editorial comments on campus life." The endless paint layers took their toll, however, and seventy years later the original wooden structure collapsed under its own weight and was replaced with the current fence, but it had by that time become the most painted object in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

There are rules that must be followed when painting the Fence - it must be painted in its entirety, and only between midnight and sunrise. Students wishing to paint the Fence or make sure that their paint job remains until the morning light must "guard the Fence" by staying in its immediate vicinity. If they leave, the Fence is fair game for any other groups who want it, so students will guard in shifts over the Fence by day in order to paint it at night.

On April 18, 2005, the flute studio of 2004-2005 decided to paint the Fence as a tribute to our teachers in thanks and appreciation for a great year with them. The next day, the studio gathered to take pictures by it as part of the gift for our teachers, some of which are present below.

Painting the Fence may sound like a weird tradition to non-Carnegie Mellon students. But being a flutist here means appreciating the fact that the School of Music is not an isolated conservatory, but part of a university known for its excellence and innovation in many fields besides that of flute instruction. Everyone works hard here, so it was only fitting that we were able to experience Carnegie Mellon beyond music and academics by taking some time off to participate in a longstanding CMU tradition. Certainly, we never expected to find ourselves painting a fence after midnight, but I think we'll all agree that it turned out to be something we won't quickly forget.

Thanks to Pia, Brook, Jeong-hyun, Youngji, and Inger for the use of these pictures!

  Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.