Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Movies
November 6, 2020

Clever Movie Ad Printed on Both Sides of Paper Comes To Life When Held To Light

A movie advertisement can be more than just a way to promote a film. When done well, it can become a collector’s items for fans of the flick. The 2016 Japanese animated film Your Name did just this with their clever full-page ad in a newspaper that, when printed, would’ve made anyone want to hang the page on their wall (or window) and see the film, of course.

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Birds
November 4, 2020

This Hi-Tech Bird Feeder Lets Clever Magpies Exchange Bottle Caps for Food

You might not realize it, but birds are very intelligent creatures. Crows, for instance, can recognize human faces. Magpies, a relative of crows, are also known for their smarts as well as their affinity for picking up objects and finagling with things like locks. Artificial intelligence researcher Hans Forsberg noticed these clever creatures around his neighborhood and was able to train them to trade in pieces of litter for food.

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Books
October 23, 2020

Photographers Celebrate Black Beauty Through Awe-Inspiring Portraits of Children in New Book

Regis and Kahran Bethencourt are the dynamic husband and wife duo behind CreativeSoul Photography; and together, they've dedicated their artistic practice to celebrating unconventional beauty. Through stunning images in their AfroArt and Princess Series, they showcase natural Black hairstyles as their subjects dress in costumes including Baroque-era aesthetics and Disney-inspired royalty. Each uplifting portrait tells a story—one of the Bethencourts' greatest strengths—and is exemplified in their new book titled Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty.

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Books
October 16, 2020

Self-Taught Baker Reveals How To Create Her Artistic Pie Designs in New Cookbook

Self-taught baker Lauren Ko combines artistry and pie to craft desserts that are a treat for the eyes and the taste buds. For years, she’s been wowing us with her artistic pies that incorporate complex crust weaving and geometric arrangements of various fruits and vegetables. Ko has gained widespread acclaim for her food art; and now, she’s letting us in on her baking secrets with her new book titled Pieometry.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.