In this episode of State of Art, host Bree Pappan sits down with Pueblo artist and storyteller Kennedy Pugh to explore the personal journey behind Mirror Image, a performance rooted in family history, identity and the Black experience in Southern Colorado.

Pugh discusses how his genealogy research became more than a search for names and dates. As he traced his family history, he uncovered stories that helped him better understand his own identity and the generations that came before him. That journey helped inspire Mirror Image, which blends spoken word, jazz, blues, gospel, storytelling and personal narrative to explore Black life and cultural heritage in Pueblo and Southern Colorado.

The project recently received a $3,000 Folk and Traditional Arts Project Grant from Colorado Creative Industries, part of a statewide program supporting projects that preserve, celebrate and document Colorado's cultural traditions. CCI describes Mirror Image as a work that tells the layered story of Black life in Southern Colorado through traditions and personal narratives passed from one generation to the next.

Bree and Kennedy talk about genealogy, family, memory and the power of art to preserve stories that might otherwise disappear. It is a conversation about looking into the past and discovering that what we find there can change the way we see ourselves today.

In this episode of State of Art, host Bree Pappan sits down with Pueblo musician and entrepreneur Jesse McCoy to talk about Don’t Go to Pueblo, a new DIY music festival that turns a familiar knock against the city into a celebration of Pueblo’s independent music, art and creative culture.

Presented by Bedfires Records, the two-day festival takes place Oct. 2-3 in downtown Pueblo, bringing together punk, metal, alternative, indie and electronic music alongside local artists, vendors and businesses. The event describes itself as “100% local,” built by Pueblo and for Pueblo.

McCoy joins Pappan to discuss the idea behind the festival, Pueblo’s DIY music scene and the importance of creating opportunities for local musicians and creatives. The conversation also explores how music, entrepreneurship and community can work together to challenge outside perceptions of Pueblo while strengthening the culture already being built here.

The festival opens Friday, Oct. 2, at Analogue Books, Records & Bar, followed by the main event Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Gold Dust Saloon, featuring six Pueblo bands and a limited capacity of just 100 attendees.

There is also a community purpose behind the music: 100% of ticket sales will be divided evenly among CASA of Pueblo, SafeSide Recovery and El Pueblo History Museum.

State of Art is a Pueblo Star Journal podcast exploring the artists, musicians, makers and creative voices shaping Pueblo and Southern Colorado.

In this episode of Bree on a Budget, Bree Pappan introduces listeners to a special Business Spotlight on Serendipity Boutique, the city’s buy, sell and trade clothing boutique where affordability, sustainability and community come together on Union Avenue in Pueblo's historic shopping district.

Serendipity Boutique is owned by three Pueblo-native sisters who took over the former Downtown Farmgirl in late 2025 and transformed it into a business inspired by their late mother’s love of clothing, resale shopping and finding a great deal. The boutique has since returned to Union Avenue, opening its new location at 308 N. Union Ave.

Bree talks with the sisters about what it takes to run a family-owned business while keeping their individual strengths at the center of the operation. Felicia Cover and Jessica Krall live in Pueblo and manage the shop’s day-to-day operations and marketing, while Stephanie Minson, based in Denver, oversees the financial, business and human resources side. Together, they share weekend duties, special events and the work of building Serendipity’s presence in the community.

The conversation also explores the growing appeal of resale and consignment shopping, giving clothing a second life and helping customers stretch their dollars without giving up style. Bree also looks at Serendipity’s commitment to Colorado-made products, local partnerships, charitable giving and its plans to make the Union Avenue storefront more than a place to shop.

It is a story about three sisters, one Pueblo business and a simple idea at the heart of Bree on a Budget: Finding a great deal can be good for your wallet, good for your community and good for giving something old a new life.