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.
History
September 8, 2023

Salvaged ‘Survivors’ Staircase’ Is a Symbol of Salvation for Those Who Fled 9/11 Attacks

A set of stairs known as the Survivors’ Staircase are part of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. The granite and concrete staircase didn’t originate in the museum, though. Originally an outdoor set of stairs, they were vital to the evacuation of people fleeing from the attacks on the World Trade Center towers in 2001. The Survivors’ Staircase was connected to the northern edge of World Trade Center’s Austin J.

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Creative Products
August 10, 2023

26 Quirky Candles To Cast a Creative Glow in Your Home

A candle is one of the easiest ways to add ambiance to your home. But just because they cast a soft glow in your living room, it doesn't hide the fact that they can look a bit banal. Luckily, there have been some clever candle developments over the past several years and otherwise ordinary balls of wax have been shaped into statement-making pieces for your home.

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Drawing
July 30, 2023

Learn the Basics of Charcoal Drawing To Capture the Intensity of Life With Art

You’ve got a lot of choices for tools when it comes to drawing. Pencils are the most popular, simply because they are so ubiquitous. But the more you get into drawing, the more you’ll want to experiment with media to figure out what you like using the best. Charcoal, for instance, is a popular tool for artists—especially those that like to sketch and do it fast. Why Should You Try Charcoal Drawing?

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Illustration
July 9, 2023

Learn About J.C. Leyendecker, the Illustrator Who Defined Men’s Style in the Early 20th Century

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, illustrators were celebrities. They were household names. It might sound strange today, but consider an illustrator's role in society; this was before photographs were routinely used in magazines and newspapers, so illustrators were the ones who helped define the visual culture at that time. Of the illustrators with immense cultural influence, J.C. Leyendecker was at the top.

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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.