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.
Furniture
November 6, 2020

Ingenious Bed Frame Has a Place for Cats to Play While Their Humans Rest

It’s not often that humans and their cats have furniture that is designed for both of them. A kitty might claim a spot as “theirs” on the couch or the bed, or their person will have to pay a lot for cat-centric furnishings that leave much to be desired, design-wise. But luckily, the creatives behind the Colombian brand CatLife are changing that with their clever Gatrimonial bed.

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Sculpture
November 1, 2020

Carved Figures Emerge From Wooden Beams That Were Once in a Historic German Palace

Some creatives work with raw materials that are always on hand, but not German artist Christian Kosmas Mayer. It was decades before the wood he'd eventually use in his sculptures would be unearthed. In 2012, pine trunks were recovered after the demolition of Berlin’s Palast der Republik, a symbol for the German Democratic Republic that lasted from 1949 to 1990. Mayer purchased the wood at auction.

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Style
October 23, 2020

Miss Mexico 2020 Contestants Have the Most Spectacular Traditional Outfits

The annual Miss Mexico competition has a spectacular category that is an indisputable showstopper. Known as the “traditional outfits” presentation, contestants rock designer-made, artistic representations of the country's customary clothing. The ensembles are nothing short of incredible and feature sculptural headdresses, fully painted skirts, and, in some cases, woven sandals worn as accents on a dress and as a crown.

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Sculpture
October 15, 2020

Sculptor Creates “Glitchy” Wooden Figures and Shares His Process on Instagram

Taiwanese sculptor Hsu-Tung Han fuses traditional woodworking techniques with a visual motif that is distinctly modern. Each of his wooden portraits is distorted with pixelated “glitches” that obscure some areas of the built figure. Part of a face, for instance, is missing or a man's chest is vibrating with wooden cubes. The result of these “bugs” is a contemporary feel while the analog media is a contrasting nostalgic effect.

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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.