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.
Academy
February 17, 2026

How To Turn Fresh Flowers Into Timeless Works of Botanical Art

If you ask someone why they don’t buy fresh flowers, a common answer is that they’ll wilt. Eventually, the once-beautiful blooms will end up in the compost or trash, a sad end for something so pretty. But that doesn’t have to happen. No, you can’t keep flowers alive forever, but you can preserve their colors and delicate petal shapes through flower pressing.

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Painting
February 12, 2026

Pissarro’s Great-Great-Granddaughter Is Making Her Own Name in Art by Merging Tech [Interview]

As you might guess from her last name, installation artist and painter Lyora Pissarro has a famous relative. Her great-great-grandfather is none other than Camille Pissarro, a painter who was instrumental in the Impressionist art movement. His legacy has been passed down to his descendants, and across five generations, there have been 17 painters in the family.

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Street Art
February 5, 2026

Street Artist’s Tribute to Alex Pretti, Nurse Killed by ICE, Becomes Public Vigil Near Seattle Hospitals

Art offers a powerful way to process our emotions. When words fail, images and the act of creation can be a salve—not just for the artist, but their viewers as well. Grief, anger, and helplessness are potent emotions gripping the United States as the country reckons with the killings of peaceful civilians at the hands of masked ICE officers.

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Photo Contest
January 30, 2026

Society of Photographers 2025 Contest Announces Its Astounding Winners

Throughout 2025, members of The Society of Photographers had the opportunity to submit their work to a Monthly Image Competition. And each month, photographs would be judged, with the cream of the crop marked as a Gold Award-winning image across one of the 28 categories. This acknowledgement then shortlisted a photograph for the 2025 Photographer of the Year competition, where the winners were just announced.

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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.