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.
Sculpture
May 28, 2025

Kinetic Round Table Has 18 Headless Straw Figures Fighting for One Rolling Head

Seoul-based artist Choe U-Ram’s sculptural performance piece titled Round Table is a head-turner…and a head roller. The kinetic artwork utilizes robotics to bring otherwise inanimate objects to life. It provokes thoughts on humanity and how scarcity can lead to confrontation, both internally and externally. Round Table, which debuted in 2022, features 18 headless figures, made of artificial straw, carrying a circular surface on their backs. Sitting atop the large table-like structure is a straw ball.

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History
May 19, 2025

Albert Einstein’s Theory on Happiness Written on Hotel Stationery Sold for Nearly $2M

In 1922, Albert Einstein wrote two notes on hotel stationery that, nearly a century later, were worth almost $2 million. They weren’t the keys to the universe, as the scientist is known for, but the writing commented on something much more mystifying: the human condition. The story goes that Einstein was about to leave for Asia to embark on a lecture tour when he learned he had won the 1921 Nobel Prize in physics.

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Aerial Photography
May 12, 2025

Aerial Photographer Captures Fascinating Stories Behind Cars and the People Who Drive Them [Interview]

Aerial landscape photography puts distance between the photographer and their subject, literally and figuratively. From high above the ground, the photographer captures a bird's-eye view of what's below. It minimizes the elements of the landscape, making trees look like dots and lakes appear as small splotches. While enchanting, this form of photography can lack the intimacy other approaches offer.

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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.