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.
Sculpture
February 15, 2021

Beautiful 50-Foot-Tall Sculpture Pays Tribute to Native American Women in South Dakota

High above the Missouri River in South Dakota sits a magnificent sculpture that’s a beautiful tribute to the Native Nations of the Great Plains region. The 50-foot-tall artwork is called Dignity of Earth and Sky—often shortened to just Dignity—and is a statue of an Indigenous woman wearing a Plains-style dress and receiving a star quilt. In highlighting this figure, the memorial recognizes the often-overlooked group of women of the Lakota and Dakota Nations.

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Body Art
February 11, 2021

Artist Transforms Herself Into Mind-Bending Optical Illusions Without Any Photoshop

Like many artists, Dain Yoon enjoys working with paint. But it’s not a canvas that she puts pigment to—it's her own body. Using an extensive palette of paints and brushes, she applies the pigment to her skin and transforms herself into amazing optical illusions. Her creations go beyond fooling the eye, and they're convincing enough to make you believe that she is now what she has painted.

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Photojournalism
February 5, 2021

Powerful Before-and-After Portraits of Kids Who Escaped Child Labor [Interview]

For over 20 years, Bangladesh photographer GMB Akash has turned his lens towards the marginalized groups of people in his home country. The socially conscious photographer views his chosen field as a powerful opportunity to shine a light on the atrocities that these underserved populations deal with on a daily basis. One group that Akash documents are child laborers, and he has spent 17 years capturing their plight.

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Wildlife Photography
January 28, 2021

Photographer Showcases the Majestic Beauty of Elephants To Help in Their Conservation [Interview]

Photographer Chris Fallows captures awe-inspiring images of wildlife in their natural habitats. He first became known, decades ago, for his portraits of great white sharks. The popularity of these pictures launched him from a hobbyist photographer into the field as a full-time professional. Since then, Fallows has not let a moment of the incredible privilege he has to travel and be among the Earth's animals go to waste.

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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.