Art around the iSchool: My feelings about Star Wars’ Count as such

“You were supposed to destroy the Art Side, not read an article on it!!” – Obi Wan Kenobi, misquoted

Theodore Barnaby Abramowitz, iNews Class Reporter • March 31, 2026

Art that has the potential to be hung up in the NYC iSchool

Have you ever doodled a flower in the margins of your notebook? Etched cheeky vandalism in a bathroom stall? Straight up, just taken an art class?

Like the very O2 you take in reading this without thinking you have, we do and absorb art all around the iSchool. It’s just that we haven’t gotten around to really noticing it.

The Arts & Entertainment section of iNews is seemingly dominated by Pop Culture, things happening far, far away that affect and are only relevant to iSchoolers via consumption. But what about the art that happens right here, right now? The people who make the art right here, right now. And Star Wars. Star Wars is relevant as well.

A lot of art awaiting appreciation is hidden in plain sight.

“I like the ones that are embedded in the structure, like the little mouse that’s by the water fountain…[or]…the hand in the commons window, the ones that are kind of sneaky. I enjoy that,” says an anonymous enjoyer of lil’ art.

Such art gives character to the iSchool and illustrates (ba-ding-tss) the school’s communal contributions.

Like I very recently said, there are a good handful of visual art classes, (mostly) tracing back to one specific teacher: Ms. Smith.

“Ms. Smith is a hoot, she’s very funny.  I recently got to sit in a couple of her classes during our Shadow-a-Student protocol, and it was just really cool and inspiring to see her teach and have 100% kids engaged at different levels of art.” continues an anonymous colleague of Ms. Smith.

Ms. Smith’s teaching has quite the reputation for activism as well!! As early as 2013 were her assignments asking students to speak (or paint, I suppose) up for what they believe is right.

Local iSchool student and artist, Jillian Ness, who has taken the famous Comics module, said she “…thought it was a good class and it was really great to see my art work and stories in a zine…”

While I have only taken a very small percentage of a single Ms. Smith taught class, the vibes of Introduction to Drawing were great.

Such a welcoming, forward-thinking, and inspiring class has resulted in wonderful self-portraits lining the 4th floor hallway or striking city landscapes displayed around the Commons!

It ain’t all unicorns, lollipops, kittens, marshmallows, hamsters, or rainbows though.

“I don’t feel like there’s a lot of options for me to pursue art in the iSchool which is one of the things I really hope improves as I continue learning here.” continues Jillian Ness.

Since there are only so many art classes, students still seek an outlet for greater artistic opportunity, desire a place where one can truly unwind, where art isn’t graded but still communal!

“People love drawing about random stuff they love, but also, we’re all interested in the same franchises and the same things on the internet.  So we draw all the stuff that are from those franchises and that’s what brings [Drawing Club together].” says Tintin Kanhasura, notable member and Next-In-Line-To-Be-President of the iSchool’s Drawing Club explaining why people gravitate towards, you guessed it, Drawing Club.

It’s a good club!

All of that being said art doesn’t just mean a pencil-to-paper drawing. It can also be your word count filling Star Wars predictions and feelings:

It’s been a real long time since I, Theodore Barnaby Abramowitz, watched a “War in the Stars.”

I watched the first (or the fourth according to some guy who corrected the good ol’ titles in honor of the floopin’ prequels) Star War with my father, completely legally. I don’t know how much of the movie I completely took in, considering I estimate I was in Second Grade when we were all horking down crayons, heck I don’t even know if I liked it that much. Most likely, I found it vaguely stimulating and entertaining. A friend (who was kind of a butt) spoiled that a certain something happens to Obi-Wan Kenobi, but if I revealed it myself, I’d be no better than him.

I watched the second (or the fifth according to some guy who corrected the good ol’ titles in honor of the floopin’ prequels) on one fateful Thanksgiving, within the confines of my grandparents’ apartment’s study. I thought this one was pretty darn cool.

Return of the Jedi was one I watched in increments. Mark my words when I say I am not a fan of the Ewoks. It might be controversial to conjoin The Phantom Menace to this paragraph, but I feel similarly. There’s awesome stuff in these movies, but annoying mascots and unnecessary additions drag ‘em down for me.

Attack of the Clones stinks, by far the worst. The whole political trade dispute drama thing went over my head, too many crayons. I didn’t like Dooku, who was supposed to be the cool part, his “sick slightly bent lightsaber handle” is pretty darn underwhelming if you ask me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not that you asked me; nobody asked.

Now dear reader, here it comes. Sent down straight from the heavens (or more like the hells [because the climax takes place on the hell planet, Mustafar]), is the most radical, epic, sick Star to ever War. The most radical, epic, sick Light to ever saber. The most radical, epic, sick Revenge to ever Sith. This movie includes but is not limited to: