Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long before Sanford H. Calhoun High School junior Joseph Solorzano-Ruiz spent eight months building a towering sculpture that turned heads at the school’s annual art show, he was a kindergartner admiring his older brother filling sketchbooks with drawings.
“I would see my brother using sketchbooks all the time, and I just always was inspired by his example,” Joseph said. “Since then, there’s been a bunch of movies and shows that I love that inspire me, and I want to recreate a lot of the things I see.”
That inspiration culminated this spring in “The Xenomorph Warrior,” a nearly 9-foot-tall sculpture inspired by the creature from the “Alien” film franchise. Created in AP 3-D Art and Design, under the guidance of teacher Mike Goldberg, the piece became one of the highlights of Calhoun’s annual art show in June.
The sculpture also served as the centerpiece of Joseph’s Advanced Placement portfolio, which explored themes surrounding technology and artificial intelligence.
“I chose to go as big as I possibly could,” he said. “I wanted to show a very evil, large, imposing figure.”
The project demanded eight months of work, often late into the night after balancing school, sports and homework.
“It was almost every day,” Joseph said. “There were nights where I thought that it wouldn’t be possible to complete, but no matter what, I just had to keep going.”
He described his junior year at Calhoun as one of his most challenging, with the pressure of completing an AP portfolio while keeping up with classes and athletics.
“It was a very difficult school year overall,” he said. “I knew that this was an AP portfolio, so that was a lot of pressure as well to do as well as I possibly could.”
Building the sculpture required experimenting with different materials. Joseph ultimately used craft foam and yoga mats for the detailed exterior, while wood and PVC pipe formed the internal frame strong enough to support the nearly 9-foot structure.
Although the finished piece drew praise from classmates and teachers, Joseph said he still sees ways he could have improved it.
“There are a million things that I would have done differently,” he said. “But it was a very, very proud moment to have it completed and displayed.”
Art has long been a shared passion for Joseph and his older brother, Gary Solorzano-Ruiz, a 2021 Calhoun graduate who now works as a permanent substitute teacher in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. Earlier this year, Gary completed a long-term art substitute assignment at Calhoun while Joseph was finishing the sculpture, and the brothers now work together during the summer at the Long Island Children’s Museum.
For Gary, seeing the completed sculpture after months of watching it come together piece by piece was unforgettable.
“I just could not believe how realistic it looks,” Gary said. “It looks straight out of the movie.”
Viewing it as both a teacher and a brother made the accomplishment even more impressive.
“From a teacher’s perspective, I don’t even know what I would say or do other than support the student,” he said. “That is pure 100 percent talent and dedication.”
Gary said Joseph’s success is the result of years of persistence.
“There’s a lot of times where he starts one and maybe something doesn’t really work out, but he learns from that,” Gary said. “He put all that knowledge together to make this incredible sculpture.”
While the sculpture was inspired by a well-known movie monster, Gary said Joseph made it his own by combining elements from different versions of the character.
The brothers continue to critique each other’s work, a tradition that has helped both grow as artists.
“We always offer constructive criticism,” Joseph said. “It’s only to help, and we build off each other.”
Years ago, Gary publicly credited Joseph as one of his artistic inspirations. Hearing that from someone he has admired since childhood remains one of Joseph’s proudest moments.
“It feels surreal because he has been one of the main role models in my life,” Joseph said. “To know that I have the same effect on him ... it’s shocking and makes me feel really proud and confident of the work I’m doing.”
Gary said the admiration goes both ways.
“It really means a lot to me,” he said. “He puts in a lot of the dedication. He puts in a lot of the time.”
With his senior year approaching, Joseph said he’s still deciding which path within the art world he wants to pursue, but one thing is certain: “It will 100 percent be in the art field,” he said. “I don’t see anything else that I’ll be doing as a career. It’s my number one passion.”
