Roocha Shukla wants to create art with a cause.
The Grade 12 student at Guelph CVI will showcase over 50 of her art pieces at "Art on the Street" an event that she will host on Oct. 11 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the high school's outdoor classroom at 155 Paisley St.
"This event is special for me as it combines two things I am deeply passionate about, art and giving back to the community," Shukla said.
"Through this fundraiser, I would like to support Hope House Guelph. All proceeds from my artwork sales will go directly to this good cause."
Guelph Arts Council hosts an annual event with the same name, but they are unrelated.
It all began for Shukla during the summer months as she looked for something new and exciting to help pass the time.
"This past summer I really wanted to find something to do, so I combined my passion for art and for giving back to the community. I really enjoy painting and sculpting which is really peaceful and I am able to show my creativity. And I also really like to help people too," Shukla said.
"I have volunteered in places like the hospital, and so I wanted to find a way that I could contribute to the community."
While attending a community event, Shukla learned about Hope House, a non-for-profit organization, offers programming for those who face new or ongoing challenges related to poverty.
"They were accepting donations. That's how I learned about Hope House. And then, I went on the website to see what they were all about," she said.
"I soon realized that this was a really good cause. So, I decided that I wanted to help them out."
Shukla's love of art began at a young age.
"I have always loved creating various forms of art, whether it was sculptures, graphic design or stop-motion videos. Painting allows me to express the beauty in nature and everyday things that I perceive," she said.
"In my house, we have all kinds of paintings hung up. Some are from when I was in Grade 3. I have really improved since then," Shukla said.
"My art pieces are on canvas. I really like doing landscapes because I can use all different colours to create a scene. I also have a lot of paintings that feature animals because I really like drawing and painting them. My sculptures of animals, are kind of on the 'cartoon' side. They really are cartoony and cute," Shukla said.
Shukla hopes to raise $2,000 from her art sales.
For more information and to view Shukla's art, visit here.
But art isn't her only passion.
Last year, Shukla took home multiple awards at the 2024 Canada Wide Science Fair for her research in plant growth and development. She was awarded the Senior Gold Medal – Challenge Award for Best in Division for Agriculture, as well as the prestigious Youth Can Innovate Award.
Shukla said her experience at the fair has inspired her to continue on an educational path in science and plans to attend university to study biology.
"My school community is really happy about the art event," she said.
"We hope for a lot of community members to come out, have a look at the the art pieces, and they can choose whatever they would like. And all the money will go to Hope House."
Shukla hopes this might inspire an annual event for other student artists.
"Students interested in art can get involved and show their art as a way to also give back to the community," she said.
"This was a great use of my time during the summer. It's been really fun and I'm glad that my art can be used for a good cause."
