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.
Art
June 19, 2025

Get a Peek at the New ‘UNBOUND’ Exhibition Coming to the Museum of African Diaspora

This fall, the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is set to open an expansive exhibition that invites viewers to imagine Blackness as one of limitless possibilities. Titled UNBOUND: Art, Blackness, and the Universe, it's a group exhibition that explores the “critical connections between Blackness, scientific and spiritual cosmologies, and post-human thought.” UNBOUND highlights Blackness as a powerful force that lies at the intersection of creativity and the scholarly.

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Music
June 18, 2025

Musical Instrument Museum Showcases the Extraordinary Craft of 16th Century Stringed Instruments

Instruments are a crowning human achievement. For many thousands of years, we've engineered ways to create music and have then learned to master the instruments that enable us to do so. The oldest object identified as a musical instrument is a simple flute dating back between 50,000 and 60,000 years. If you’re fascinated by musical instruments, especially as a way to examine traditions and culture, then you’ll want to visit the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM)

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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.