“For a long time I struggled with deciding whether or not I had anything worth showing or saying,” said Katie Strader, BFA student at Weber. “This is an opportunity for me to say, ‘Yeah, I am worth being here; my art, my style, my personality is worth showing.’”

Katie Strader was one of fifteen advanced drawing students from Weber that had the opportunity to feature their artwork during the art show called Advanced Doodles.

The show was hosted by OMOCA, or Ogden Museum of Contemporary Art, who collaborated with Nurture the Creative Mind.

The show was part of Ogden’s First Friday Art Stroll held on April 1. The show took place on 2501 Wall Ave, on the south end of the Union Station, and went from 6 to 9 p.m. that night.

The goal of the show was to help showcase the artwork of students in the advanced drawing class at Weber State.

Strader explained that the showcase’s sole purpose was to give the students the experience and to help them understand what it’s like showcasing their own art.

OMOCA was started by two BFA students from Weber during last fall semester, Lara McNair and JP Orquiz. McNair said that the club simply “started as a resume builder.”

“OMOCA’s main goal is to create opportunities for students to curate and get the experience to show their work off of campus, while still being an undergrad,” McNair said. “It’s all a huge teamwork.”

The show was OMOCA’s third show since it was first founded, but the first show that was not held in a basement. The club’s very first show was held in McNair’s.

Luckily this time around, OMOCA was able to collaborate with Amir Jackson and Nurture the Creative Mind for this show. Jackson actually provided the space for the show.

The space allowed anyone from the public to stop and view all the artwork from students in the class, art professors and some art students involved with Nurture the Creative Mind.

McNair explained that everyone involved had a few pieces in the show. She said some artists only had three, while others had up to thirteen pieces.

The professor of the advanced drawing class, Scott Horsley, along with Matthew Choberka, head of the art department, and Paul Crow, photography professor, all had pieces of art in the show.

“I’m looking at the show as a form of evidence,” Horsley said. He explained that his students in the class have been able to make a personal connection with drawing, and the show is a reflection of their connection.

Kristen Lloyd, a BIS student with emphasis in art, English and music, was very excited to be in the show. Lloyd explained how she doesn’t have a lot of experience with being in art shows.

“It’s the first show I’ve ever been in,” Lloyd said. “It’s one of the big things that helped me be able come out of my shell and learn to express myself as who I wanted to be, instead of who I felt like others were trying to turn me into.”

Being her last show before she graduates this spring, the show meant a lot to McNair. She said, “It means teamwork, it means new, fresh art, it means getting students out there while they are still undergrad so they can learn and grow, it’s about community.”

Students can still check out the show. All the artwork will be displayed for public viewing during the whole month of April on the south side of the Union Station.