GRANITE FALLS, Minnesota, May 21, 2026 — A recording studio near Rochester, a young portrait artist from Willmar and Ukrainian musicians preserving cultural traditions are featured on the season 17 finale episode of Postcards Thursday, May 28 at 7 p.m. on Pioneer PBS.
The episode features Carpet Booth Studios, a recording and production studio near Rochester founded by Zach Zurn in 2017. Driven by a lifelong passion for music and production, Zurn built the studio with the belief that artists do not need to live on the East or West Coast to succeed in the music industry.
“It is genuinely, from my experience, one of the best spots to be a creative individual,” Zurn said of Minnesota.
Viewers will also meet 18-year-old artist Evelyn Johnson of Willmar, who creates expressive portraits of women from history, the Bible and her own family. Johnson’s work includes depictions of figures such as Rosemary Kennedy and reflects her distinctive artistic style and interest in honoring women’s stories.
Johnson said creating art has been a constant part of her life and something she plans to continue pursuing in the future.
“I definitely feel unfulfilled if I don’t do it for a while,” Johnson said.
The episode also introduces Angelika and Justin Mehes, Ukrainian siblings who perform as Bandura Duo. The pair share the history and significance of the bandura, a traditional Ukrainian instrument with deep cultural roots.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the siblings began focusing more seriously on performing and educating audiences about the instrument and its importance to Ukrainian identity and heritage.
“The fact that we have this instrument today and that it’s survived over all of these ages, it’s a big act of defiance, but it's also a big motivator and reason for why it’s important to keep playing it,” Angelika Mehes said.
Postcards rebroadcasts Sundays at 7 p.m. and Mondays at 1:30 p.m. following the initial airing on Pioneer PBS.
How to Watch
Viewers within the viewing area can watch the live program on 10-1, 20-1, 8-1, Dish, DirecTV and Mediacom.
In addition to station broadcasts, viewers in Pioneer PBS’s viewing area can also stream the premiere live at pioneer.org/live, on YouTube TV, Prime Video, Hulu Live, or via the “Live TV” button on the PBS app and pbs.org.
Full episodes can also be streamed at pioneer.org/postcards, the PBS app, the Postcards YouTube channel and pbs.org/show/postcards/.
Support
Due to recent funding cuts to Pioneer PBS and other PBS stations across the nation, shows, particularly local programming like Postcards, that you love are in jeopardy. Consider becoming a member of Pioneer PBS to support the programs you love. For more information, including how to support Pioneer PBS, visit pioneer.org.
About Postcards
Postcards is an award-winning art, culture and history program produced by Pioneer PBS. The team of Postcards consists of series producer Dana Conroy with videography and editing by Kristofor Gieske and Ben Dempcy. Additional editing is provided by Mike Scholtz, Brad Keeley and Justin Streichman. The program is made possible by contributions from the voters of Minnesota through a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund with additional funding from Shalom Hill Farm, Explore Alexandria Tourism, West Central Initiative, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC) and members of Pioneer PBS.
About Pioneer PBS
Established in 1966 Pioneer PBS is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing stories from rural Minnesota with the world. For more than 60 years, Pioneer PBS has amplified local voices and reflected the people, places, and issues that matter most to our region.
Headquartered in Granite Falls, Minnesota, with towers in Appleton, Worthington and Fergus Falls, Pioneer PBS reaches more than one million viewers across western Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas and northern Iowa. We are honored to be your television station—the only station in western Minnesota telling your stories. As we celebrate 60 years of storytelling, we invite you to help ensure these stories continue for the next 60 years and beyond.
Learn more at pioneer.org or call 800-726-3178.
