The Storm King School Builder’s Club has greeted spring head on with their latest creation– an outdoor sculpture they say represents the ebbs and flows of life. Builder’s Club, a popular after school activity, meets every day with the mission of conceptualizing and constructing a work of art to display during the School’s Arts Weekend and, later, at an outdoor exhibition for Hudson Valley artists the following fall.

According to Visual Arts Department Chair John Carruthers, the students created this year’s sculpture, called “Life’s Little Ups and Downs,” to represent the back and forth; the Yin-yang of life. “The sculpture comprises two seesaws teetering in opposite directions, each with opposing black and white paint. This references the concept of Yin-yang. ‘Seated’ on the seesaws are chess pieces– a king and a pawn– again, referencing Yin-yang, but also the fact that in chess, both pieces are equally powerful in their own ways. On the other seats are an apple and an orange which references the phrase ‘Apples and Oranges.’”

Builder’s Club: Visual Arts Department Chair John Carruthers, Shirley W. ’24, Liam M. ’27, Sean C. ’26, Johnny T. ’26, Dantia S. ’24, Isabel G. ’26, Coco P. ’25, Joya Y. ’26′ and Angelina C. ’24

“Each piece we do in Builder’s Club starts with a discussion about materials, themes, practicality, and the students’ interests,” explained Mr. Carruthers. “We had a large group discussion where the students came up with the concept for the piece. We decided we wanted to work with wood, then added hardware to fasten the pieces together like screws and I-brackets, and paint. One of the challenges was learning about the tools we needed to construct the art, such as drills, a jigsaw, and a circular saw. The students who were assigned to various stages of the project like cutting, assembling, and painting worked hard to creatively problem solve and rethink their approaches when something wasn’t working out. Everyone had a great time putting it all together,” he continued.

According to Mr. Carruthers, “The entire process represents the back and forth, the Yin-yang of life. It was a real collaborative effort by all of the students involved.” “Life’s Little Ups and Downs” will be shown here on campus at the School’s upcoming Student Art Show, then move on to the Collaborative Concepts outdoor sculpture exhibition at Tilly Foster Farm in the fall. There, our students’ work will be on display along with the works of other talented Hudson Valley artists.