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Mom artists celebrated at new free gallery show in Ybor City's historic Kress Building

Curator Odeta Xheka wanted a space where a mother's creativity is "cherished"
Mom artists celebrated at new free gallery show in Ybor City's historic Kress Building
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Posted 9:42 AM, Jun 24, 2024
and last updated 11:17 AM, Jun 24, 2024

YBOR CITY, Fla. — Odeta Xheka is a mom, an artist, and a visionary.

So when a space opened up in Ybor City's historic Kress Building on 7th Avenue, the Albanian-born local creative knew exactly what she wanted to do.

"To make a point of having women at the helm of their enterprises," she said.

Her OXH Gallery has a new free show celebrating artists who are also moms. The show includes her own layered work and Madison Hendry's epic nine-year-the-making knitting project, which guests can curl up in.

"The way I see it, [Madison is] knitting all her motherhood experiences," said Xheka. "She's knitting time itself."

For more on the OXH Gallery and the other events at the Kress Building, go here.

Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes

"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.

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