The most expensive piece of art in the world that will be on display in Grand Central Terminal is calling attention to the rising cost of college as well as the impact of college debt.
Natural Light Beer unveiled this installation, entitled Da Vinci of Debt, in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. The installation was created using 2,600 authentic, physical diplomas provided by real college graduates across the country.
“The art world is filled with absurd price tags that most people find impossible to justify,” said Daniel Blake, Vice President of Value Brands at Anheuser-Busch. “That’s what made it the perfect medium for this campaign. It’s a very fitting analogy for the outrageous cost of attending a typical four-year college and through Da Vinci of Debt, we hope to inspire action around the college debt crisis and drive more fans to enter for a chance to have the Natty College Debt Relief Program pay down their student loans.”
The installation is in residence from Jan. 14-16. A full gallery of the installation will be viewable virtually at Naturallight.com/DaVinciofDebt.
Da Vinci of Debt is a mesmerizing collection of real diplomas, suspended in mid-air as if a gale of wind had just scattered all 2,600 of them throughout Vanderbilt Hall. The design is meant to illustrate both the scale of the crippling debt crisis while also alluding to the chaotic impact college debt creates for those who are burdened by it. Each diploma was carefully molded in place and brilliantly suspended using an intricate network of cables.
Only in the art world can a single banana sell for $120,000 and an artist’s used bedsheets go for $150,000. While other artworks like these are valued arbitrarily, the value of Da Vinci of Debt is derived from the average total cost of a four-year college education. With college debt in the United States reaching a record high of $1.7 trillion in 2021 and the average graduate paying over $180,000 by the time their diploma is in hand, Natural Light is calling on the deep-pockets of the fine art world to view its exhibit and are open to entertaining bidders on the historic artwork.
The installation of Da Vinci of Debt also celebrates the return of the Natural Light College Debt Relief program which launched in 2018. Each year, Natural Light provides $1 million to help students and graduates who continue to be weighed down by college debt. Now entering year four of its ten-year, $10 million commitment, Natty discloses the “highly-classified” plan behind its $100 diploma rentals in 2020 as it unveils the stunning exhibit.
“If it means giving more people the opportunity to enjoy the college experience without the debt that follows, we’re all ears,” said Blake. “Natty is dedicated to doing everything we can to provide real solutions to college debt, and if there is a serious bidder, you know where to find us…@naturallightbeer.”
For more information about the Natural Light College Debt Relief Program as well as the rules to enter for 2021, visit www.naturallight.com.
