Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
May 3, 2023

Artist Reimagines the Infamous Met Gala Cockroach Dressed as a Fabulous Attendee

Of all the invited guests to the 2023 Met Gala, there was one infamous party crasher. And no, it wasnโ€™t a snubbed A-lister. It was a confused cockroach that was trying to escape the crowds but found itself at one of New York Cityโ€™s biggest events. The insect tried its best to flee on-lookers and the camera, but its brief brush with fame was captured by amateur and professional photographers alike.

Read Article


May 2, 2023

Met Gala 2023: The โ€œMeowvelousโ€ Looks That Dazzled During Fashionโ€™s Night Out

The first Monday in May can only mean one thingโ€”it's time for the Met Gala in New York City. The fundraising fรชte for the Metropolitan Museum of Art is โ€œfashionโ€™s biggest night out,โ€ when A-listers take risks with their style all in the name of honoring the event's theme. This year's prompt was โ€œKarl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beautyโ€ after the famed German-born designer Karl Lagerfeld.

Read Article


May 1, 2023

Learn the Basics of Perspective to Create Drawings That Pop Off the Page

Drawing is full of fundamental techniques that will improve how you create art. And if you like to draw realistically, understanding these methods is vital. Perspective is one of these approaches that will help you become a better draftspersonโ€”especially when it comes to architecture. It creates the illusion of depth to make your work appear more realistic. What is perspective drawing in art? Perspective drawing gives objects on a 2D surface a sense of three-dimensionality.

Read Article


April 26, 2023

Monumental Lollapalooza Sculpture Is a Towering Pine Cone Created With 95 Car Hoods

In the proper context, one object can completely transform into something else. Work by Argentina-based Estudio Normal is an awe-inspiring example of this phenomenon. The multidisciplinary architecture and design office created a sculpture titled Capot (Spanish for a car hood) at the center of Lollapalooza 2023 in Buenos Aires. Although at first glance it appears as a giant pine cone, the entire form was created using 95 hoods from Volkswagen Golf vehicles.

Read Article