We are pleased to present The Tales We Share, featuring work by five women artists from diverse backgrounds. This group exhibit will take place at Vjosa Cafe & Events (1010 W 35th St Ste 102, Chicago) between Nov. 20–Dec. 18, 2026. There will be an opening reception on Nov. 20, 6–9 PM, and a closing reception on Dec. 19, 6–9PM, both during the Bridgeport Third Friday Art Walks.

The Tales We Share is a family-friendly, multicultural group exhibit about folklore, mythology, and other traditional narratives, told through diverse perspectives and mediums. The artworks are curated to evoke curiosity, reflection, and creative joy. Visitors will discover modern twists on familiar tales and learn new stories from Ukraine and the Caribbean. The show engages with cultural resilience and pride, nostalgia, and history.

Exhibiting Artists

Iliana Cardona | https://www.instagram.com/ilianacardona.art/
Elena Diadenko | https://www.instagram.com/diadenko_elena/
Yuliya Klochan | https://www.instagram.com/yuliyaklochan/
Becca Krusza | https://www.instagram.com/becca.krusza.art/
Elena Pach | https://www.instagram.com/elenapach_art/

Exhibition & Event Details

Free and open to the public, family-friendly
Exhibition Dates: November 20 – December 18, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, November 20, 6–9 PM
Closing Reception: Friday, December 18, 6–9 PM
Location: Vjosa Cafe & Events, 1010 W 35th St Ste 102, Chicago, IL 60609 Open Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 7 AM–5 PM, Closed Monday
Workshop: Mini Junk Journaling Jam | Friday, December 11, 6–8 PM | Tickets at www.ilianacardona.com/workshops

Artist Statements

Iliana Cardona is a Puerto Rican mixed media artist whose work features vibrant, layered compositions that combine collage, paint, and found materials. She’s been engaged in art since early childhood, then expanded her practice after 23 years in victim advocacy work. Cardona has continuously refined her practice through formal study, ongoing experimentation, and workshops with artists from around the world. She now aims to be a guide who encourages art as a form of self-care and creative joy for all. At Vjosa, Cardona will share folkloric tales of the Taino people from the Caribbean.

Elena Diadenko is a Ukrainian-born artist whose work spans vibrant abstraction, figurative storytelling, and cultural heritage. She holds an MA in Interdisciplinary Arts and an MAT in Interdisciplinary Arts Education from Columbia College, Chicago, as well as a BFA in Ceramics from Lviv National Academy of Arts in Ukraine. Diadenko’s creative process is an exploration of human connection, expressing personal and cultural resilience, hope, and pride. It also supports
humanitarian efforts for Ukraine. Diadenko has been featured in numerous national and international exhibitions and has won the prestigious Golden Apple Award. For more than three decades, she’s also educated students to use art for self-expression and healing. At Vjosa, Diadenko wants to make her art come alive by sharing cultural stories and traditions with Chicagoans.

Yuliya Klochan grew up in Donetsk, Ukraine, and worked as a multimedia writer and health journalist for more than ten years. Now, she designs modern beadwork using traditional Ukrainian loom weaving, though her writing background still inspires her art. As an immigrant, queer, and disabled artist, Klochan aims to create works that center social justice. She weaves each artwork with up to 15,000 “perfect cylinder” Toho Aiko beads and fishing line. Her beading has been featured at 70+ exhibits and fairs across the U.S. At Vjosa, Klochan will reimagine well-known stories from across the world with contemporary style and inclusivity ideals.

Becca Krusza was raised in Northwest Indiana and recently got her BFA in Painting/Drawing and Graphic Design from Olivet Nazarene University. She’s known for playful and colorful art, including acrylic paintings, digital illustration, and ceramic sculptures. Krusza uses symbolism to explore themes of reflection, nostalgia, nature, gender identity, sexuality, and relationship dynamics. Her whimsical style helps her manifest the best parts of life and the endless possibilities of the future. At Vjosa, Krusza will channel positive energy and nostalgia inspired by her childhood love of legends, fairy tales, and early 2000s Barbie movies.

Elena Pach grew up in an artists’ family and Artists’ Union apartment building Kyiv, Ukraine, then graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture and moved to the U.S. in 1994. Pach’s authentic, personal work focuses on the uniqueness of every individual, and she draws inspiration from mythology, Ukrainian folklore, ornament, and elements of popular culture. At Vjosa, Pach will continue her decades-long artistic practice, returning to sketches and themes she first explored more than thirty-five years ago and finding new meaning in familiar ideas.

Official Website

More events on this date

Tags: Becca Krusza, Bridgeport, Chicago, Elena Diadenko, Elena Pach, Folklore, Iliana Cardona, Mini Junk Journaling Jam, mythology, narrative, nostalgia, The Tales We Share, Vjosa Cafe, Vjosa Cafe & Events, women artists, Workshop, Yuliya Klochan