In an effort to showcase the talents of the student body on the national stage, Art Council will fund a number of student-created installations on campus for next month’s presidential debate.

Proposals selected for construction will be fully funded by the debate’s Student Engagement Subcommittee. The efforts will be modeled after a similar Washington University project from the 2008 vice presidential debate between now-Vice President Joe Biden and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Until Sept. 18, Art Council will accept visual art submissions from students in any school at Washington University, as well from faculty and University staff. Artists whose proposals are accepted will construct their projects in the week leading up to the debate and have the opportunity to speak about them as campus

According to Student Union President and senior Kenneth Sng, the installations aim to give a voice to students who might not otherwise engage with debate events.

“We were looking for events that would cater to students not traditionally interested in political issues, and we thought that revamping the 2008 art installation would be a perfect way to engage a broader audience of students,” Sng said.

Sng feels that the installations will complement the Student Engagement Subcommittee’s debate festival, which will aim to harness the debate’s national media attention in order to promote student groups.

“Ideally, media outlets will pick and choose various interesting projects from groups tabling to highlight. In 2008, I’ve heard En Council’s Rock ’em Sock ‘em robots exhibition was a really big hit,” Sng said.

Art Council president and senior Alyse Gellis is optimistic that the installations will offer students an opportunity to harmoniously share their political beliefs.

“Proposal selections will be made by Art Council with representatives of [the Washington University Political Review] and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. We want to make sure the installations we choose are representative of the whole student body and their freedom of expression. Allowing people a platform to express how they feel through artwork is really important; it can allow people to make themselves heard peacefully,” Gellis said.

To Sng, the debate is a unique opportunity to inspire the activism and success of Washington University students in the future.

“The nation will only be as determined and as passionate and as successful as its young people. Here at Wash. U., we are the pillars of our future,” Sng said. “I’m really hoping this presidential debate gives us the opportunity to support students so that they will be willing to engage in political issues in the future.”