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.
Sculpture
September 4, 2026

Daniel Arsham Encases an 88-Year-Old Scotch in a Sculptural “Time-Worn Relic” Made of 8 Layers

The Balvenie and artist Daniel Arsham have collaborated on a special whisky that is the whole package—literally. The renowned single malt Scotch whisky distillery has recently unveiled the Eighty-Eight-Year-Old as part of its The 1931 Collection. At nearly a century aged (distilled in 1931), it’s the oldest whisky ever released by The Balvenie. To commemorate this once-in-a-lifetime spirit, the distillery tapped Arsham to create a “sculptural form” worthy of the prized liquid.

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Academy
September 1, 2026

Here’s How To Create a Hue Matrix (And Why Every Painter Needs One)

Imagine you’re looking at your collection of acrylic paint colors, mixing them on your palette—but you still can’t get the hue you want. It’s frustrating, and worst of all, wasteful. You’ve got hues you can’t use and aren’t any closer to putting pigment to canvas. Well, there’s a hack for helping you mix paint colors, especially if you utilize a limited palette.

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Art
August 27, 2026

RIP Yayoi Kusama: Iconic Japanese Artist Known for Her Dots Dies at 97

A gourd covered in dots of varying sizes. Mirrored rooms, littered with lights, that seem to go on forever. Monumental flowers with rainbow-colored circles across their blooms and stems. This is the oeuvre of art icon Yayoi Kusama, who sadly died on August 14, 2026, at 97 years old. Her death is a deep loss for the art world. Art icon Yayoi Kusama died on August 14, 2026, at 97 years old.

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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.