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.
Drawing
April 20, 2026

Father-Daughter Artist Duo Creates Stunning Photorealistic Charcoal Animal Portraits

Rob and Georgia Harris have made their art a family affair. The father-daughter artist duo creates large-scale charcoal drawings depicting animals in amazing detail. They started their collaboration when Georgia was just 11 years old and have since produced more than 20 monumental works together. In addition to the joy of working with a loved one, the partnership has allowed their shared visual language to evolve in ways it never would have alone.

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Books
April 17, 2026

Revealing Prince Photo Book Shares Over 570 Snapshots From the Legendary Musician’s Life

Prince was an extraordinary creative, a man whose artistic vision defied genres. Although he’s best known as a musician, Prince created Paisley Park, an artistic headquarters where he could create, perform, and record. It allowed him space to play, a vital activity for an artist. Alongside Prince were friends and collaborators like Steve Parke. For 13 years, Parke worked with Prince as the in-house art director at Paisley Park, designing album covers and hand-painting guitars.

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Hotels
April 9, 2026

You Can Spend the Night Surrounded by 350 Birdhouses at Sweden’s Treehotel

The higher the perch, the closer we are to the birds. If you long to be nearer to your feathered friends, you’ll want to flock to the Biosphere room at Sweden’s Treehotel. The unique cubed structure is suspended above the ground with a facade that’s surrounded by 350 birdhouses, inviting the winged creatures to stay alongside you. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

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Academy
April 7, 2026

Artist Turns Travel Memories Into Mixed Media Embroidery—and Shows You How

Do you have any travel plans this summer? If so, you’ll likely snap tons of photos on your phone. But that’s not the only way you can preserve your trips and other fun outings. The people and places you see are perfect fodder for original art. Embroidery artist Maria Zamyatina knows this all too well; her artistic practice centers on preserving her travels with paint and thread.

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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.