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.
History
July 10, 2020

Professor Cooks 3,770-Year-Old Recipes From Mesopotamia and Shares Surprising Results

It's not unusual for people to use recipes from decades past as a way to explore what dishes were like from long ago, but Bill Sutherland took this idea to another level with his recent endeavor into ancient food preparation. Using a 3,770-year-old Mesopotamian tablet as his recipe book, the University of Cambridge professor cooked a now-viral feast that those living in 1750 BCE Babylon would’ve eaten. So, what was on the menu?

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DIY
July 2, 2020

“Plant Daddy” With Over 300 Indoor Plants Offers His Top Tip for Cultivating an Indoor Jungle

Do you fancy yourself as someone with a green thumb? If you take care of a few plants, you know how challenging they can be—each type of flora has a specific way that it likes to be cared for. Cyril Sontillano knows this all too well. While many people have a handful of indoor botanicals, this “Plant Daddy” has more than 200 different species of house plants.

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Art
June 26, 2020

Artist Creates Portraits of Black People Killed by Police, a Minute of Color for Every Year of Life [Interview]

Artist Adrian Brandon creates work that focuses on the Black experience. While part of this centers around the “unique joy, swagger, and love” that is shared in the community, Brandon also uses his talents to mourn the Black people who have been killed by police. Through his ongoing series called Stolen, Brandon draws portraits of the many men, women, and children whose lives were tragically cut short.

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Portrait Photography
June 24, 2020

Fairytale-Inspired Portraits Reimagine Disney Princesses as Regal Young Black Girls

Thanks to a collaborative effort between makeup artist and hairstylist LaChanda Gatson and CreativeSoul Photography, Disney princesses have been beautifully reimagined as young Black girls. Aptly called Princess Series, the stunning portraits feature the girls made up from head to toe to capture the essence of characters like Snow White and Ariel.

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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.