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Areej Khan used to dress like a man to be able to drive in her native Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to drive.

"I know a lot of women who were doing it anyway, a lot of my friends did it," she recalls. "So I would just put on a cap and tuck my hair inside and get in the car and drive."

Now, instead of covering up, this student artist and activist is encouraging women to stand up for the right, to sit behind the wheel. It's all part of Khan's master of fine arts project, which is on view at the School of Visual Arts gallery on West 26th Street.

Through her website and downloadable bumper stickers, people participate in the We The Women project by putting their own thoughts into the idea bubbles.

"The 'for' argument is that in the time of the Prophet, women used to ride camels, so how is that any different now?" says Khan. "There's another argument that having a driver is actually a privilege and you're treated like a queen, so why would you ever want anything else. But if you can't afford to have a driver, you're not that lucky."

Khan says while the forum is open to all sides of the debate, the project is a campaign for change, which is reflected in the logo

"It's basically the female icon but she's wearing the Hagad, which is the ring that men wear over their headdress traditionally, so it in itself is a symbol for rebellion," Khan explains.

We The Women is one of 19 socially-conscious design projects on view at the school.

"It really exemplifies the MFA design program, where our philosophy is that students need not just to shape content, but they really need to generate an idea," says School of Visual Arts MFA Co-Chair Lita Talarico.

Among the other projects are a website where creative professionals can barter for services; beach shorts printed with your favorite picture of the ocean to raise money for environmental protection; and, cards to help budding stagehands learn the ropes.

While this exhibition is about to come down, all of these projects continue with an online component as well video podcasts.

As for Khan, she believes with a new king in power who supports a woman's right to drive, now is the time for change in Saudi Arabia. Her efforts could accelerate that change.