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.
Installation
September 30, 2025

Innovative French DJ Transforms Historic Chateau Into a Dynamic Showcase of Music and Lights

If you were there on September 19, 2025, the Chateau de Chambord was likely unrecognizable. The UNESCO World Heritage Site in Chambord, France, was transformed into a canvas for the renowned French DJ and music producer Michael Canitrot. Using the technological magic of projection mapping, the massive Renaissance facade wore an ever-changing contemporary cloak choreographed to Canitrot’s electronic music. With Canitrot’s artistic direction, the chateau provided a backdrop for an audiovisual story about “heritage and progression.

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Art
September 26, 2025

Sprawling Seattle Art Museum Is the Crown Jewel of Emerald City Cultural Institutions

Seattle is known as the Emerald City for its year-round greenery. But within the lush locale are incredible cultural institutions that make up the crown jewels of the bustling metropolis. To experience them, look no further than the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). As one museum with three locations, the sprawling establishment has its roots in downtown with SAM, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood with the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM)

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Architecture
September 19, 2025

Japanese Sauna With Views of Mount Fuji Inspired by the Mountain’s “Hat”

Tranquility can take many forms, but there’s perhaps no better way than in a spa with a mountain view. CYCL, located in Japan on the shores of Lake Yamanaka in Yamanashi Prefecture (about two hours west of Tokyo), offers both. It features a sauna with incredible, uninterrupted views of Mount Fuji, nourishing the body, mind, and spirit. CYCL opened its doors in April 2024 with a 1,300-square-foot facility.

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Underwater Photography
September 16, 2025

Expressive Underwater Photos Inspired by the Grandeur of Baroque Paintings

The ocean flows with metaphors. It can be calm and tempestuous, liberating but also stifling. Water represents birth and renewal. For over 20 years, artist Christy Lee Rogers has been fixated on water and crafting images within it. Now, ART LABOR Gallery in Shanghai is presenting a major retrospective of her work titled Aqueous Renaissance, which highlights her singular vision of photographing bodies and fabric underwater with a grandeur that recalls Baroque-era paintings.

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My Modern Met

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