Star Wars: The Fans Awaken

To celebrate the return of Star Wars to the big screen with The Force Awakens, we asked you to submit your Star Wars fan art for us to display in the foyer of the museum.

The standard of submissions we received was absolutely amazing, demonstrating that the creative Force is strong indeed among the artistic wing of the Star Wars fan community. A huge thank-you goes out to all the artists who gave their time and talent to make this exhibition really special.

Explore the gallery above to see some of the artworks and images from the exhibition, and read on for the artists’ personal stories about their Star Wars inspirations.

The fans in their own words

Nicole Sesterhenn, creator of ’Leia Episode VI in Jabba’s Palace’

I grew up with Star Wars. When I was very young I believed in God as a person who is good and the Devil as a person who is bad. But through Star Wars I understood that good and evil are not caused by God and the Devil. Good and evil are inside of every one of us and we eventually decide which side we choose.

That doesn’t mean that someone is absolutely good or evil; there’s always a reason or a conviction that causes your actions. When people feel sorry for something wrong they did and try to make it better, they turn back to the good side.

This is what I see in Star Wars Episode VI: Luke still believes in the good inside his father (Anakin/Vader) when Obi-Wan has given up on him. It shows the emotional bond between father and son. The scene when Vader interferes with Luke’s torture by the Emperor is the best in the whole story, and conveys so much to me.

Leia is a great, strong character. I admire her frankness and courageous nature. In the beginning of Episode VI she takes action to rescue Han, because she loves him! I also like her clothing and hairstyle, although I read that having to lose so much weight for The Force Awakens was awful for Carrie Fisher.

I enjoyed JJ Abrams’ two Star Trek movies very much. I trust that he’s made a great Star Wars movie and I’m looking forward to seeing it. There are many speculations about it, but I try to keep them to one side until I’ve seen it.

I hope that Luke’s character has not changed completely. I’m referring to the rumours that he might have turned to the dark side. In Episode VI he refused to take his father’s place on the dark side beside the Emperor and instead saved his father and turned him to the good side. Now it’s suggested that he’s turned to the dark side? And all his efforts and his conviction were for nothing? I’m not particularly fond of that idea.

Joelyn LaValley, creator of ‘Aubrey and Todd’

My name is Joelyn LaValley (formerly VanEss). I am from the small town of Malone in upstate New York, but I currently live in Plattsburgh, New York, where I have been for about six years. When I am not busy working as a Progressive Care nurse, I love to spend time with my many pets, family and friends.

I’m also always working on a variety of art and craft projects. My husband is a huge Star Wars fan. Admittedly, I have only seen two of the original movies, but I plan on having a marathon viewing in the near future.

When I heard that Aubrey and Todd, the lovely couple in this image, were getting married I knew exactly what I wanted to do to commemorate their upcoming celebration. They are both huge Star Wars fans, and they began their relationship over a series of Star Wars movie date nights. They always say ‘I love you’ and ‘I know’ to each other just as Han and Leia do.

Steven Carrillo and Hannah Nguyen, creators of ‘Ornaments’

Steven is an experienced public speaker, non-profit consultant, and digital artist. He and his fiancée Hannah Nguyen reside in Florida and spend time creating posters and crafts related to the wonderful world of geekdom. Their current website, Anonymous Champion, sells a variety of posters and 3D pixel art inspired by nerd culture.

Hannah Nguyen: I began my love of Star Wars with the prequels (blasphemy, I know). I fell even more in love with the series after watching the original trilogy.

Star Wars, like all nerd culture, plays a huge role in my relationship. Steven and I spend countless hours theorising about the new movie: has Luke gone to the Dark Side? Is Kylo Ren Han Solo’s lost son? Who will die?!

Our love of Star Wars only brings us closer together. As artists, we love sharing our creations with each other and the world. I am honoured to be a part of the museum and I hope you enjoy the pixel art.

Hitokage, creator of ‘Kylo Ren’s Lightsaber’

The Star Wars saga has followed me since my childhood. I have watched the films, I have read the fan-fiction books, I have dreamed about being a Jedi Knight. Who wouldn’t want to wield a lightsaber?

I have made some Star Wars-inspired special effects videos and I plan to do more in the future. This picture is from one of them. Many people wondered how would this cross-guard lightsaber work. Well, I gave them a solution here.

When I heard the news about the new movie I didn’t know how to feel. Is it only a cash cow, will it honour the original saga? To tell the truth I was afraid a bit. Nevertheless when I watched the trailers, especially the last one, I couldn’t stop the wave of excitement that exploded in my body.

We were watching this trailer during a lecture at university and I suddenly screamed ‘Oh that’s Princess Leia!’ People turned on me like, What the hell?

Michalina Redlińska, creator of ‘Vintage R2-D2’

I watched Star Wars for the first time over fifteen years ago and thought: This is it! I played Star Wars with my friends at school; we had nicknames from Star Wars books and movies. I was Mara Jade, one of my favourite characters.

I love to draw and paint characters from Star Wars because it’s great exercise for my imagination. I can do it in very different ways and they are always interesting and attractive.

Star Wars is very important to me because it’s a fascination I share with my dad. We talk to each other and swap quotations from the movies. Our family considers us freaks but we always have great fun.

Nick Orozco, creator of ‘Star Wars/Daft Punk Mashup’

I’m a musician and artist from Los Angeles. I first watched Star Wars when I was about 7 years old and couldn’t be more excited for the new film.

I love humorous mashups and crossover art pieces and when I saw the new poster I couldn’t help but make a mashup featuring one of my favourite groups, Daft Punk. As for the film, I think whatever JJ Abrams has in store for us will be amazing.

Kristina Kostova, creator of ‘Anakin’

I first watched Star Wars when I was six years old. There was this shiny golden robot with a funny voice and his little companion—a much smaller robot that made cute sounds. They were in a cave-like place with a disgusting huge creature laughing at them and acting as if it owned the whole planet.

I lay in front of the screen following the story closely, at the same time being amazed by the sheer amount of aliens—some beautiful, others not so. As the years passed by, my love for the movies grew even stronger. I began to find everything about them, especially the story, ever more stimulating to my imagination.

Star Wars is one of the main reasons I became an artist. It opened my mind to ideas many years ago, and the ideas that come from it are endless. As any fan knows, it has created a universe of its own. And universes tend to be big—like, really big! This saga has an impact like no other.

Disclaimer

This exhibition is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Disney, Lucasfilm Limited or any of their subsidiaries, employees or associates. We offer no suggestion that work presented in the exhibition is ‘official’ or produced or sanctioned by the owner or any licensees of the aforementioned trademarks. We make no claim to own Star Wars or any of the copyrights or trademarks related to it.