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.
Painting
October 21, 2025

Artist Creates Enigmatic Maps and Diagrams That Are Meant To Be Defined by You

There is beauty in repetition. Seeing the same motif produced again and again is like a symphony of form. And while it’s satisfying to see carbon copies, it’s perhaps more compelling when created by the human hand. As hard as we may try, a pattern drawn by hand will never be completely perfect—and that’s part of its charm. Artist Shane Drinkwater creates works on paper that are replete with repeats.

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Travel
October 15, 2025

How Populus Seattle Curated a Dynamic Art Collection Where Everything Is for Sale [Interview]

Art in hotels can often be an afterthought, a way to simply cover the walls rather than an avenue to engaging with guests. But not with Populus Seattle. The luxury hotel is set inside a restored warehouse in RailSpur, a micro-district within the city’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. It boasts beautiful rooms, tasty food and drinks, and an art program unlike any other.

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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.