Students in arts and sciences classes at Toll Gate High School are getting ready to show friends, family and the public just what it is they’ve been working on this year.

The third annual Toll Gate Arts and Sciences Fair will be held Wednesday, April 23, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Featured will be the projects of students in a wide variety of fields, ranging from the more traditional arts to fields including graphic design, robotics and woodworking.

Dean D’Andrea, Toll Gate’s arts and technology department head, said that the event has grown significantly since assistant principal Todd Grimes pitched the idea in 2022. This year, D’Andrea said, the fair has grown to the point where local art institutions will be looking at the work of the Toll Gate students.

“Now we’re getting CCRI and Rhode Island College coming in,” D’Andrea said. “The Warwick Center for the Arts is also going to be showing up, making this a real collaboration. We’re showcasing our students, and we also want to bring in our arts community and say ‘Hey, this is what’s going on at Toll Gate.’”

Student projects on display will vary from 3D-printed pieces in D’Andrea’s classes to restaurant-quality menus in Will Mercier’s classes to close-up recreation of Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky’s work in Susan Paolella’s class.

Through these projects, the classes have learned different artistic concepts, such as Paolella’s class learning how to properly mix colors together while painting and Ashley Lynn saying that many of her class’s projects helped emphasize the differences between positive and negative space.

“The students each researched [Kandinsky’s] abstract art, and they chose a painting they were intrigued by, and then chose a crop, a small crop, to do a larger painting of,” Paolella said. “It’s an awesome thinking exercise about how to mix the colors that they’re looking at to match, as well as working with the composition.”

In addition to featuring student art, those in attendance will also get a performance from Toll Gate’s jazz band, and will be able to enjoy food trucks, a photo booth, face painting and interactive crafts.

While some of the attractions were new additions in the fair’s third year, with D’Andrea highlighting the food trucks as an exciting addition, many other activities had been part of what made the previous two fairs successful.

“Last time, people all painted a communal painting,” teacher Alison Toronczak said. “Everyone contributed.”

D’Andrea said the wide variety of student talent showcased would wow the community. The best part to him, though, is seeing how excited the students are to share their work.

“It’s really nice to bring in the community,” D’Andrea said. “To see kids connecting with their families and friends, showing off their work, getting so excited about it – it’s great.”