There was a lot of chalk talk going on at Gateway Technical College on Tuesday on the importance of voting.

Students took chalk spray paint and stencils to give a creative flair to encourage their classmates to register to vote on the nation’s largest non-partisan civic day of voter registration, National Voter Registration Day.

Gateway was one of 15 community colleges nationally taking part in Project HOPE, a participatory art project. Sarah Marbes, Gateway Impact Program coordinator, said the event brings some creativity and fun to voting and the need to register.

“A lot of time, students think that this is a dry, bureaucratic process,” said Marbes. “Creating this mural is about building something together, it’s about community, which is really what the voting process is about. And, it’s also a time when they can have a little fun on campus.”

Gateway has celebrated National Voter Registration Day for many years.

“We provide non-partisan information to encourage students to use their voices,” said Marbes. “We’re excited to bring the Project HOPE Mural to campus because it’s a great way to illustrate democracy as a creative process. Students can see we all contribute to a bigger picture.”

Project HOPE is a public art project created by artist Corie Mattie in partnership with National Voter Registration Day and the Levi Strauss Foundation. Students will build an installation around five phrases: “Hope as a Verb,” “Love as a Verb,” “Joy as a Verb,” “Care as a Verb” and “Vote is a Verb,” adding their own mark to the artwork while registering to vote or verifying their registration. Gateway students stencilled the “Vote is a Verb” design.