Knitting is a practical skill to have, but useful doesn’t have to mean dull. It’s also a great way to express yourself. With the right skills, you can create imagery through yarn, adding a bit of whimsy to a blanket, scarf, sweater, and more. Australian designer Jake Henzler, aka Boy Knits World, does just that by incorporating architecture into his creations. Using stranded colorwork and intarsia knitting techniques, he forms tiny windows, colorful roofs, and other building details. And best of all, he’s showing you how to emulate his charming designs in his new book titled Knit the City: Building Blocks.

Iconic cities, including London, Paris, Copenhagen, and New York, served as inspiration for the book’s patterns. In each design, Henzler selects a memorable building from a city’s architecture and transforms it into something knittable. In Amsterdam, for instance, he recreated grachtenpanden, or 17th‑century canal houses, that seem to represent the city itself. Sydney’s terrace houses, built in the mid-to-late 19th century, are especially important to Henzler, as they recall the “sharehouses” he had with others in his 20s and 30s. Whether it’s historical or personal, the designer finds a way to connect to all of the architecture in his book.

Every pattern in Knit the City is modular and can be created as separate blocks or joined together to complete one of the three projects included in the book: a large blanket, a baby blanket, or a pillow cover. Henzler has guidelines for yarn amounts and the number of blocks needed for each project, making it easy to get your supplies and get started.

Knit the City: Building Blocks is now available through Bookshop.org.

Learn how to knit architecture with Jake Henzler, aka Boy Knits World.

Using stranded colorwork and intarsia knitting techniques, he forms tiny windows, colorful roofs, and other building details.

He’s showing you how to emulate his charming designs in his new book titled Knit the City: Building Blocks.

Iconic cities, including London, Paris, Copenhagen, and New York, served as inspiration for the book’s patterns.

In each design, Henzler selects a memorable building from a city’s architecture and transforms it into something knittable.

Every pattern in Knit the City is modular and can be created as separate blocks or joined together to complete one of the three projects included in the book: a large blanket, a baby blanket, or a pillow cover.

Knit the City: Building Blocks is now available.

Jake Henzler: Instagram | Ravelry

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by David & Charles Publishing.

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READ: Travel the World Through Knitting in This Architecture-Inspired Pattern Book

Spring is the season of rebirth, and for one especially good reason: it’s when the flowers begin to bloom. Vibrant pinks, reds, and yellows dot the landscape, bringing life back into a previously drab landscape. Celebrate the season with art and, like the blooms, make your own fresh start by learning something new. The online class Botanical Watercolors: Learn to Paint Realistic Flowers will do just that by teaching you the foundational techniques for recreating florals using this beloved medium.

Artist Victoria Beyer teaches the class on My Modern Met Academy, our e-learning platform. Over the course of an hour and a half, she covers foundational techniques for floral watercolor painting. Beyer focuses on recreating tulips and daffodils, but her approach can be applied to any flower.

The great thing about Botanical Watercolors is that it doesn’t ignore an important element of painting: the drawing of it all. Beyer spends time showing you how to study—how to see—a flower and sketch it. Once you’re happy with your drawing, she demonstrates how to transfer it onto watercolor paper and apply color.

Watercolor paint requires restraint and layering, as it doesn’t have the same properties as acrylic or oil paint—both allow you to spread bold colors straight from the tube. In contrast, Beyer shows you how to build watercolor slowly to give your work dimensionality and the subtlety that flowers deserve.

Spring into color when you enroll in Botanical Watercolors: Learn to Paint Realistic Flowers, only on My Modern Met Academy.

Artist Victoria Beyer teaches you how to paint flowers in her online class titled, Botanical Watercolors: Learn to Paint Realistic Flowers.

Over the course of an hour and a half, she covers foundational techniques for floral watercolor painting.

Beyer focuses on recreating tulips and daffodils, but her approach can be applied to any flower.

The great thing about Botanical Watercolors is that it doesn’t ignore an important element of painting: the drawing of it all.

Beyer spends time showing you how to study—how to see—a flower and sketch it.

Once you’re happy with your drawing, she demonstrates how to transfer it onto watercolor paper and apply color.

Get an introduction to the class:

My Modern Met Academy: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok

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READ: Spring Into Color When You Learn To Paint Gorgeous Watercolor Flowers

Photo: Jake West

Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) just completed its milestone 30th anniversary festival, proving that even after three decades, it’s still as thrilling as ever. From May 15 to May 17, 2026, organizer Insomniac welcomed more than 500,000 attendees—known as Headliners—all of whom gathered for three days and nights to celebrate music, art, and community under one Electric Sky.

This year’s event was centered on immersion, building on past themes like kineticMETROPOLIS in 2025. For 2026, Headliners united under kineticJOURNEY, which looked both forward and backward—it was a tribute to the path the festival has been on, and will continue, for years to come.

The theme was evident through both its layout and offerings. During EDC, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a vibrant, glittering city with drone shows, carnival rides, casino-style games, and incredible sculptures. The “roads,” like Kinetic Trail, Memory Lane, and Electric Avenue, led to different enclaves that hosted these experiences alongside live music.

EDC is, in part, about its musical performances, and the artists took to different stages throughout the festival. More than 200 acts performed, with some standouts including Zedd, FISHER, and Kaskade, alongside Tiesto, The Prodigy, and Martin Garrix. They graced newly designed platforms for 2026, adding an electrifying combination of sculpture, music, and lights to every set.

Leading up to the opening of EDC was the first-ever edition of World Party Parade on the Las Vegas Strip. It was a free and all-ages event that transformed the iconic street into a “celebration of love, unity, and dance music culture,” with performers, art cars, and, of course, moving sound systems.

For EDC fans who wanted to live, eat, and sleep the festival for all three days, there was a home base: Hotel EDC at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Produced by Insominac and Vibee, it encapsulated the spirit of the event, boasting specially decorated rooms and poolside DJs enjoyed alongside other Headliners.

Eugene Kim, co-founder and editor-in-chief at My Modern Met, attended the event and says, “EDC 2026 was an unforgettable experience. I was blown away by the world-class talent, but what stood out just as much was the incredible sense of community. Combined with the immersive stage design and spectacular visuals, it truly felt like a feast for the eyes and an experience that engaged all the senses.”

EDC is only growing. For 2027, it’s planning for two consecutive weekends across 12 days. The first weekend is going to be called “EDC Dusk,” happening from May 14 to May 16, while the second weekend is “EDC Dawn” from May 21 to May 23. To get the full “Dusk Till Dawn” experience, you’ll want to be there from May 13, 2027 to May 24, 2027.

Experience EDC 2026 Through My Modern Met’s Lens

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A post shared by Eugene Kim | My Modern Met (@meaningbehindart)

Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) just completed its milestone 30th anniversary festival, proving that even after three decades, it’s still as thrilling as ever.

Photo: Jake West

Photo: Jose Murga

From May 15 to May 17, 2026, organizer Insomniac welcomed more than 500,000 attendees—known as Headliners—all of whom gathered for three days and nights to celebrate music, art, and community under one Electric Sky.

Photo: Susan Gomez

Photo: Jose Murga

Photo: Taylor Regulski

This year’s event was centered on immersion, building on past themes like kineticMETROPOLIS in 2025.

Photo: Taylor Regulski

For 2026, Headliners united under kineticJOURNEY, which looked both forward and backward—it was a tribute to the path the festival has been on, and will continue, for years to come.

Photo: Keiki-Lani Knudsen

Photo: Vero Nafarrete

EDC is, in part, about its musical performances, and the artists took to different stages throughout the festival.

Photo: Treston Van Baalbergen

More than 200 acts performed, with some standouts including Zedd, FISHER, and Kaskade, alongside Tiesto, The Prodigy, and Martin Garrix.

Photo: Jordan Sabillo

Photo: Orhun Uygur

Photo: Jake West

Photo: Jake West

Photo: Skyler Greene

EDC is only growing. For 2027, it’s planning for two consecutive weekends across 12 days. The full experience is “Dusk Till Dawn,” from May 13 to May 24.

Photo: Jamal Eid

Electric Daisy Carnival: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Insomniac.

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READ: EDC 2026: Half a Million People Celebrate Music, Art, and Community Under One Electric Sky

Regular Price: $19.95 | Member Price: $16.96

We could all use less time on a screen. Whether it’s an addictive video app (ahem, TikTok) or doom-scrolling the news, time away from our phones and computers is always a good idea. It’s often easier said than done, but one way to be successful is to swap a digital device for an analog activity. My Modern Met Store has some artsy and crafty products that will get you started making. And who knows—you might even form a new creative habit!

Kits are a great way to dive into an activity. They’ll often have (nearly) everything you need, simplifying your ability to start. Kiriki Press creates adorable embroidery kits that contain all but the hoop. Follow the step-by-step instructions and use the provided thread to stitch up an adorable plush doll. If you’re new to embroidery, try the Bat Embroidery Kit. But if you’ve completed this type of craft before, the Sea Otter Embroidery Kit is perfect for seasoned stitchers.

Maybe you’ve got the artistic know-how but are struggling with supplies. In that case, check out our unique art supplies. Perennial favorite Viviva Original Colorsheets has revolutionized the conventional watercolor palette with a set that’s as easy to carry as your cell phone. The assortment of 16 paints is packaged in a small booklet, where each sheet is a supersaturated layer of pigment. Simply run a brush over it to reanimate the paint. Try tucking the palette into Viviva Colors’s Travel Paint Kit folio, and you’re ready to paint on the go.

Scroll down for more art supplies that will help you make a new creative habit. Then, visit My Modern Met Store to see our entire selection.

Looking to step away from your screen? Start a new creative habit when you pick up these unique art supplies from My Modern Met Store.

Bat Embroidery Kit

Regular Price: $24 | Member Price: $20.40

Sea Otter Embroidery Kit

Regular Price: $24 | Member Price: $20.40

‘Succulents in Blue Planter' Paint-By-Numbers Kit

Regular Price: $39.99 | Member Price: $33.99

Viviva Original Colorsheets

Regular Price: $19.95 | Member Price: $16.96

A5 Travel Paint Kit

Regular Price: $55 | Member Price: $46.75

Multicolor Pencils: Pack of 5 Rainbow Pencils

Regular Price: $19.95 | Member Price: $15.96

642 Things to Draw

Regular Price: $16.95 | Member Price: $14.41

Secret Garden Adult Coloring Book

Regular Price: $15.95 | Member Price: $12.76

Pastel Colorbrush

Regular Price: $18 | Member Price: $15.30

Regular Price: $18 | Member Price: $15.30

Double Metallic Dual-Ended Colored Pencils

Regular Price: $12 | Member Price: $10.20

Regular Price: $12 | Member Price: $10.20

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“Gothic Passage with Sedilia”

Carving stone is no small feat, but artist Matthew Simmonds makes it look effortless. Within hunks of Carrara marble and limestone, he unearths ornate interiors complete with sturdy Doric columns and graceful archways. The formal aspects—the exacting angles, visual balance, and details—stand in sharp contrast to the coarse, uneven edges in which they’re contained. The juxtaposition evokes the feeling that these places are hidden or otherwise obscured, making us imagine we’ve encountered (or rediscovered) a special place.

Simmonds has had a lifelong fascination with chipping rock, and he honed his sculptural skills while working as an architectural stone carver. His pieces center on sacred spaces, such as cathedrals, and he applies that same reverence to their formal qualities. Simmonds’ 2025 piece titled Gothic Passage with Sedilia highlights this idea. “This sculpture explores in a purposefully simple way a balance of symmetry and asymmetry,” he writes, “and of interior and exterior space, as a passage moves up through the stone between two repeating worlds on either side.” At once, the design is a celebration of perfection and imperfection, showing how one doesn’t exist without the other.

Scroll down to see a selection of Simmonds’ latest works—a small part of his over 20-year oeuvre. For more, read our 2021 coverage of him.

Within hunks of Carrara marble and limestone, artist Matthew Simmonds unearths ornate interiors complete with sturdy Doric columns and graceful archways.

“Gothic Passage with Sedilia”

“Proscaenium”

The formal aspects—the exacting angles, visual balance, and details—stand in sharp contrast to the coarse, uneven edges in which they’re contained.

“Arezzo”

“Firenze”

The juxtaposition evokes the feeling that these places are hidden or otherwise obscured, making us imagine we’ve encountered (or rediscovered) a special place.

“Siena”

“Pisa”

“That Which Remains”

“Window II”

“Chapter House V”

“Essay in Baroque Space IV”

“Lonja”

“Rotunda III”

“Rotunda IV’

Matthew Simmonds: Website | Instagram

All images via Matthew Simmonds.

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READ: Sculptor Unearths Ornate Gothic Cathedrals From Uneven Chunks of Marble Stones

At right: Laurie Anderson, “Frame,” 2000.
Some American Dreams (installation view), 2026. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a particularly special place. It is, after all, where the document severing the country’s ties to Great Britain was signed. Cultural institutions are marking this event with special exhibitions and programming, each in a unique way. The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) has done so through its exhibition titled Some American Dreams.

Some American Dreams features 27 pieces by 20 artists in a variety of media. Working in furniture, sculpture, textiles, clothing, video, and photography, the pieces in the show span four decades of making at FWM. That’s right—making. The institution operates differently from many other places, as the contemporary art museum is devoted to both creating and preserving works of art. It has an Artist-in-Residence Program that supports creatives at all stages of their career, allowing them to collaborate with FWM on new materials and media. It helps push their work forward, giving them the time and space to properly do so.

Now on view until June 14, 2026, Some American Dreams contains works by artists completed while in residence at FWM. Hilde Nelson, FWM curatorial fellow, looked through the collection to build out the show, ultimately proposing the question of, “What if ‘America’ is not one project, but many?” And, in doing so, how might these Americas be “affirmed, resisted, or remade?”

My Modern Met had the opportunity to speak with Nelson about curating the show and what visitors can expect to see—especially in the dialogue happening between the works, which sometimes are at odds with one another.

Scroll down to read our exclusive interview, which has been edited for length and clarity.

Garments from left to right: Rev. Howard Finster, “George Washington Meets Martha Custis,” 1984; James Luna, “High Tech War Shirt,” 1997–1998; Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, “Who Owns History,” 1992.
Some American Dreams (installation view), 2026. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

What’s your background, and how did you become associated with The Fabric Workshop and Museum?

I am currently the curatorial fellow here at the Fabric Workshop. At the same time, I’m a PhD candidate in the History of Art at Bryn Mawr College. My academic work focuses mostly on contemporary time-based media, especially film and video, and my dissertation will be about feminist film and video. But before that, I worked as the curatorial assistant for contemporary art at the Dallas Museum of Art, where I curated the first solo museum exhibition of the painter Naudline Pierre.

Before that, I got my master’s at Williams College in the history of art, and I also did some curatorial work and curated a show at the Williams College Museum of Art. I’ve had experience working in institutions, both tiny and giant. But this is my first institution that has had a studio component and is fundamentally based on the studio practice and artist residencies. So that’s been a real treat and shaped how I approach the work.

The collection comprises long-term collaborations between the studio and the artists in residence. The curatorial process is not necessarily hugely different, but the kind of works that you have to work with has that really interesting sort of inception and development process.

From left: Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, “Neuf Series #36” and “#38,” 1992; Becky Howland, “Toxicological Tablecloth,” 1984; and Rev. Howard Finster, “Road to Eternity,” 1984.
Some American Dreams (installation view), 2026. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

Some American Dreams (installation view), 2026. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

How did the concept for Some American Dreams come about?

None of the works in the show are new commissions. I was given the prompt to work with, like many institutions around Philadelphia, which are responding to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. I was asked to look through our collection and think about how the Fabric Workshop might respond to meeting that historical moment. And so the works in the show, the oldest work is from 1983, and the newest work is from 2022, which, in some ways imperfectly, but almost sort of captured the breadth of the Fabric Workshop’s history.

The Fabric Workshop was founded in 1977, so works from the beginning up till now. And what I found really useful in thinking about this project is, rather than thinking about what constitutes American art—who is an American artist?—I came at it more from the perspective of how artists are thinking about questions of Americanness and the American project. And so in that way, I was very lucky because so much of this gets to be very artist-driven and the kinds of questions that they’re asking.

Because of the time period I had to look at, and the historical breadth, so many of the artists were thinking about major political moments in the United States, but also thinking about broader questions: how we talk about history and how we talk about memory. Several of the works from the 1990s, when you’re having the NEA wars and the 1993 Whitney Biennial, raise questions about how art addresses questions of gender and race.

In a lot of ways, I got a nice insight into thinking about how artists are considering these questions of nationhood, of belonging, of markers of identity, of the landscape in relationship to the environment. As I was going through our collection, I was less interested in thinking solely about how artists are incorporating aspects of responding to the founding fathers or things like that. There are works in the show that do that, and I think that’s an important component of the show. One of the first works you see is Donald Lipski’s giant American flag rendered in all white.

An important part of the exhibition is how artists are directly taking on and reworking these kinds of symbols. But in a lot of ways, I was also hoping to come at it a little more obliquely, and how artists are, in some ways, thinking beyond the boundaries and borders of the United States as a nation to think about how artists are interested in stories of the Americas that are far older than 250 years, or who are thinking about the Americas as a broader sort of geographical region.

I think the collection was able to provide that in these kinds of conversations with each other. Obviously, these artists are not necessarily having a moment of creation, but I think they speak to these preoccupations that come up over time. And that was what really led to the thematic idea of Some American Dreams.

Who’s an American? That’s not really the purview of the show. The show is to say that these things are always sort of in fractured tension with each other.

From left: Robert Pruitt, “Untitled Photographs,” 2011; Tim Rollins and K.O.S., “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (After Harriet Jacobs),” 1999.
Some American Dreams (installation view), 2026. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

From left: S.A. Bachman, “Are You Telling Yourself a Little White Lie?,” 1988; Donald Lipski, “Who’s Afraid of Red, White and Blue #37,” 1990.
Some American Dreams (installation view), 2026. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

Where did the title come from?

I ran into the essay, Waking Up in the Middle of Some American Dreams by June Jordan. That essay really encapsulated a lot of the things I was kind of thinking about, looking at the collection, and wanting to prioritize ideas of collectivity and coalition against individualism. So I think in some ways, I found the perfect thing to bury with the ideas I was already having about, like, what is the chorus?

How can we bring in these many voices, who are sometimes in alignment and sometimes in contention? And how can that be a more productive or a more expansive way of thinking about Americanness and reckoning with what that project or projects are in this moment?

From left: Nicole Eisenman, “Gray Bar Hotel,” 2003; Renée Green, “Mise-en-Scène: Commemorative Toile,” 1992; Luis Jiménez, “Low Rider Backseat,” 1983; Betye Saar, “Takin’ a Chance on Luv,” 1984
Some American Dreams (installation view), 2026. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

From left: Nicole Eisenman, “Gray Bar Hotel,” 2003; Renée Green, “Mise-en-Scène: Commemorative Toile,” 1992; Luis Jiménez, “Low Rider Backseat,” 1983; Betye Saar, “Takin’ a Chance on Luv,” 1984
Some American Dreams (installation view), 2026. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

Are there some works in the show that you feel are opposed to one another?

Probably the most obvious one, or the one that I think comes up most frequently in some ways, is a group of shirts. One of the nice things about the Fabric Workshop is that, in the early days, to give you some context on the institution, the goal was to teach artists how to screen print on fabric. So do large repeat pattern yardages.

Since then, it’s expanded beyond that, and artists work in a number of different mediums. But textiles are kind of the bread and butter, obviously, with the fabric workshop. So what’s really great is that we have everything in the exhibition, from a duvet cover to a blanket to t-shirts. So there’s a grouping of three t-shirts that are suspended in the middle of the gallery.

I think it’s important to say, too, that this is not to say some artists have a good view or some have a bad view. I think if anything, it’s more about how these artists are thinking, sometimes about the same stories in very different ways. And to acknowledge the value that those stories have for the teller and for the receiver.

So, in that, I wanted to pair a shirt we have by Reverend Howard Finster, who was a self-taught artist, largely based in Georgia. His shirt is George Washington meets Martha Custis. It’s interesting and honestly kind of a confounding shirt in many ways, because it’s the representation of Martha Custis Washington, both as a young woman and an older woman, and in this sea of fantastic creatures, there’s this sort of unnamed man holding a Bible. It’s this strangely ecstatic image, but it’s also a kind of celebration. [Howard] made many works that feature George Washington. I believe his first work featured George Washington, who was kind of a personal hero for him. So, I think that work in many ways is like a celebration of this founding family, this sort of revolutionary love. On the other side of that, paired it with Edgar Heap of Birds’ Who Owns History?, which is a shirt that, on the front, lists a series of phrases that are drawn from a plaque marker that used to be at Fort Duquesne in Pittsburgh. It’s no longer there, but it celebrated the British General Forbes for instituting Anglo-Saxon supremacy on this continent. And so for him, he’s asking, who owns history, who’s telling these stories, for whom does, who would celebrate Anglo-Saxon supremacy, and who doesn’t.

In the middle of those works, there is a work called High-Tech Warshirt by James Luna. I should mention, too, Edgar Heap of Birds is Cheyenne and Arapaho. James Luna was of Ipai and Puyukitchum descent and of Mexican descent. So I think questions of lineage are also very pervasive throughout the show. His work incorporates a Sunbeam thermometer, and the form evokes garments that are affiliated with the Ghost Dance movement, which was a historical movement in the late 1880s, early 1890s, a millenarian and religious spiritual movement that spread across the Plains tribes and became a means of resisting the American government. It’s probably most famously associated with the massacre at Wounded Knee. So, I think that work is an important mediator between these stories because it’s thinking about, on the one hand, [how] historical violence is very much core to the story of America. And on the other hand, I think that James Luna’s work is important for arguing that Indigeneity is not limited to the past, and that Indigenous life very much continues into the present, the contemporary moment.

Those works are situated in a conversation to open up these questions as opposed to saying, you know, like, to open up these questions about how we perceive these histories and who can tell them.

Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. “Who Owns History?,” 1992. Pigment on cotton t-shirt, 32 x 38 ½ inches. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

Some American Dreams (installation view), 2026. The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

What are the hopes you have as visitors move through the show? 

It’s not a huge show, and we don’t have giant sections. But the works are divided into six different sections, and each title is drawn from a phrase or writing from essayists, abolitionists, and songwriters. I really wanted to prioritize this polyvocal experience. I think it’s important that the show reflects that any exhibition is the product of many voices. And so for me, that’s the some American dreams, right?

The section Sharp White Background (Zora Neale Hurston) is thinking about whiteness as both a formal quality and a kind of identity, and thinking about gender and race in that way. The section with the shirts is The Past Was Not History (Michel-Rolph Trouillot), which is a line from Silencing the Past.

[There’s a section] thinking about landscape, a section about other kinds of signaling belonging or signaling identity that are beyond Americanness, and a section thinking about images of resistance and the complications of resistance. They were meant to think thematically about how these works were in conversation with each other. But I also think it’s important to say that in many ways, they’re very porous.

These conversations are seeping across what may seem like a boundary in a section. And in all of these, you can make these cross-conversations across the gallery. That’s an advantage of having everything in one fairly open gallery. You have numerous sight lines that you can spot something across the room and be thinking about it, even if it’s not directly next to the work that it’s in conversation with.

Becky Howland, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. “Toxicological Tablecloth,” 1984. Pigment on linen, glazed ceramic, and metal. Tablecloth: 85 x 85 inches; cups: 4 x 2½ x 2 ½ inches; plates: 7 inches diameter; candleholders: 5 ½ x 7¼ x 4 inches; ashtray: 1¼ x 9 x 8 ¾ inches; vase: 10 ¼ x 5 x 5 inches. Photo credit: Constance Mensh

Becky Howland, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. “Toxicological Tablecloth,” 1984. Pigment on linen, glazed ceramic, and metal. Tablecloth: 85 x 85 inches; cups: 4 x 2½ x 2 ½ inches; plates: 7 inches diameter; candleholders: 5 ½ x 7¼ x 4 inches; ashtray: 1¼ x 9 x 8 ¾ inches; vase: 10 ¼ x 5 x 5 inches. Photo credit: Constance Mensh

As we wind down, is there anything that we haven't talked about that you feel is important for the audience to know?

What has been really exciting about seeing the works out is that these artists are playing with form and material in really exciting ways. And I think if you are familiar with the practices of some of these artists, it can be really exciting to see them do something completely different. Imagine having Kara Walker’s Magic Lanterns out that invert her use of the silhouettes. But she’s still thinking in light and shadow, just in a totally different way, right?

Or artists who haven’t really worked in painting and are now producing these beautiful silk scarves. I think if you’re familiar with that, it’s exciting to see what they’ve done. And if you aren't, like, this is such an interesting way to be introduced to these artists’ work, because I think it traces almost 50-ish years of artistic production.

I’m really hoping that there’s something for everybody in terms of whether you are deeply, intimately familiar with these artists’ practice or if it’s brand new to you. It’s been really exciting to pull out artists who haven’t been on view in a while and to have people here at the studio who are like, “Oh, I haven’t seen this in 20 years,” or, you know, “Oh, I worked on this project ages ago.” I think it’s been really thrilling.

Donald Lipski, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. “Who's Afraid of Red, White and Blue #37,” 1990. White wool gabardine, 71 x 115 inches. Photo credit: Constance Mensh

Glenn Ligon, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. “Skin Tight (Muhammad Ali Text),” 1995; “Skin Tight (Muhammad Ali’s Head),” 1995. Cotton canvas, leather, satin, vinyl, pigment, and metal chain, 47½ x 13 inches diameter. Each an edition of 7. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

Tim Rollins and KOS, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (After Harriet Jacobs),” 1999. Satin ribbons and book pages on linen, 63 x 53 inches. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.

Robert Pruitt, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. “Untitled Photographs,” 2011. Archival pigment prints on rag paper, dimensions variable. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

Rose B. Simpson, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. “Tonantzin,” 2022. Linen, cotton, clay, and thread, 70 x 55 x 3½ inches. Photo credit: Constance Mensh.

Exhibition Information:
Some American Dreams
April 15, 2026–June 14, 2026
The Fabric Workshop and Museum
1214 Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19107, U.S.A.

The Fabric Workshop and Museum: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by The Fabric Workshop and Museum.

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“White on White,” by Luca Lorenz. Overall Winner.
“High above the tree line in the Alps, a mountain hare sat still for hours at the entrance to a small cave, only partially sheltered from the icy winds.”

A ghostlike scene has won photographer Luca Lorenz the title of GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2026. Captured by the 20-year-old wildlife photographer from Berlin, the lauded image depicts a rugged slope in the Swiss Alps, high above the tree line. The photo has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quality, in which a white mountain hare is perched at the entrance of a small cave. It blends in so well with its surroundings that it’s hard to spot at first glance.

“For a long time, I observed the hare as it sat practically motionless, perfectly camouflaged with its white winter coat, gazing out across the distant Alpine peaks,” explains Lorenz. He used a long exposure and limited his camera movements to avoid disturbing the creature.

It’s nearly impossible to separate nature photography from the greater messaging inherent in each image—that we must do what we can to protect this world so that photographers can continue to capture Earth’s beauty. The underlying message of Lorenz’s image does just that. The Alpine mountain hare is threatened by climate change. Every year, its coat changes from brown to white, becoming the perfect camouflage for either season. But increasingly, the hare will have a white coat while the ground is still brown, making it easier to spot by predators and decreasing its population.

“It means a great deal to me that an image of such an unassuming species can draw so much attention,” Lorenz continues. “Alpine hares are deeply important to me and, in light of the significant challenges facing the species, raising awareness and supporting research into these extraordinary animals is more important than ever.”

Lorenz’s photo was selected from nearly 9,000 entries to the competition. He won out among 546 members of the German Society for Nature Photographers (GDT). A jury first made a primary selection from the thousands of images, and then GDT members were invited to vote on 10 images in each of the seven categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscapes, Nature’s Studio, and, introduced as a special category for 2026, Biodiversity: The Beauty and Significance of Natural Diversity.

Scroll down to see some of our favorite winners and finalists from the 2026 contest.

Check out the winners of the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year contest 2026.

“Practice makes perfect,” by Jens Cullmann. Category Winner, Other Animals.
“A young African bullfrog fails to catch its prey.”

“The grand return” by Lars von Ritter Zahony. 2nd Place, Birds.
“Each evening, large groups of gentoo penguins return from their foraging areas at sea to their colonies on land. With remarkable speed and elegance, they dance through the icy waters.”

“Rice fields in Madagascar,” by Uwe Hasubek. 3rd Place, Landscapes.
“The day's first rays of sun bathe the rice fields of Madagascar in an extraordinary display of color.”

“Small world,” by Anja Mickel. 2nd Place, Plants and Fungi.
“The snake’s head fritillary never makes it easy for me, but this time I succeeded! Photography has taught me to look ever more closely.”

“Eurasian curlew in front of the lights of JadeWeserPort,” by Christian Kosanetzky. 2nd Place, Birds.
“A Eurasian curlew in Jade Bight as the tide rises. The lights of the container cranes at JadeWeserPort glow in the background.”

“Fragments of light,” by Beate Oswald. Category winner, Nature’s Studio.
“Reeds and dancing sun glitter reflect in the cool, blue waters of Lake Starnberg.”

“Black-headed gull” by Radomir Jakubowski. Category Winner, Birds.
“A black-headed gull in backlight during its landing approach in the Camargue.”

“Frozen forest,” by Eike Christian Wolff. Category Winner, Landscapes.
“This natural spectacle formed after a river flooded the forest, the water surface froze, the water underneath retreated, and the ice then broke up.”

“Green lines,” by Tobias Richter. Category Winner, Plants and Fungi
“Spring fever in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains when mosses, ferns, and wood sorrel bring the rock ledges of cool, dark gorges to life.”

“Mosquitoes on fire,” by Noah Marcheel. 2nd Place, Other Animals.
“I found these mosquitoes standing on a stone along a stream. The reflected sunlight in the background resembles a blazing fire.”

“Lava dragon,” by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove. 2nd Place, Nature’s Studio.
“Aerial view of an eruption on an active lava field, reminiscent of a dragon.”

“Shelter,” by Preeti John. 2nd Place, Mammals.
“An elephant calf seeks shelter from the blazing sun in the only available shade—the body of its mother. Photographed in Amboseli National Park, Kenya.”

“Rich in structure,” by Dieter Damschen. Category Winner, Special Category.
“Cranes departing from their roosting site in Lower Oder Valley National Park.”

“Ancient Rivals,” by Amit Eshel. 2nd Place, Special Category.
“An Arctic wolf bearing traces of a recent hunt. A nearby herd of musk oxen stands alert in its iconic defensive formation.”

German Society for Nature Photographers (GDT): Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by GDT.

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READ: Ghostlike Hare at the Edge of a Cave Wins GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2026

Photo: ela_elarts/Depositphotos

Springtime flowers are in full bloom, and so is our quest to preserve their beauty for as long as possible. The desire is innate and expressed in different ways, such as floral painting. Another option is flower pressing. With this craft, you flatten the real blooms and transform them into raw materials for one-of-a-kind works of art. Flower pressing is easily accessible; your shopping list isn’t long, and you might already have some items on hand.

Scroll down for recommended supplies. While finding them is easy, perfecting pressed flower art takes some practice. An online class is a great way to acquaint yourself with the techniques needed for it. In that case, enroll in Beyond Bouquets: Turning Pressed Flowers Into One-of-a-Kind Art on My Modern Met Met Academy. You'll learn how to press a variety of flowers and transform the blooms into stunning botanical art.

Flower pressing materials can be divided into four categories: flowers and plant material, pressing equipment, optional but helpful items, and displays.

Photo: Rawpixel/Depositphotos

Flower and Plant Materials

Photo: 742796988/Depositphotos

Flowers and plant materials are primarily the flowers you want to press. Some common blooms are roses, daisies, hydrangeas, and baby breath. You’ll also need scissors or pruning shears for trimming stems.

Pressing Equipment

Photo: dadamarkoko/Depositphotos

Pressing equipment isn’t inherently fancy. You can use a heavy hardback book or a dedicated flower press to flatten the blooms. Absorbent paper, such as blotting paper, is used to capture the moisture that seeps from the blooms during the pressing process, as are cotton rounds (found in the makeup aisle). Everyday printer paper is layered between pages.

Optional But Helpful Items

Photo: Kreminska/Depositphotos

Optional but helpful items are just that—not entirely necessary, but they will aid in the process. A wooden flower press, while included in pressing materials, is optional and something to invest in if you’re getting serious about the art. Silica gel packets (like the kind you receive with a pair of shoes) will help prevent mold on your flowers. Tweezers are great for handling delicate petals.

Displays

This final category is for when you’re ready to turn your pressing into art. Items include picture frames and cardstock for mounting, and white craft glue and a paint brush can help your two-dimensional arrangements stay in place.

My Modern Met Academy: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok

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Beginning September 5, 2026, the Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival returns to the Seattle Center under the iconic Space Needle. For two days, the site in Lower Queen Anne comes alive with music and art. This year’s edition features musical performances by Turnstile, Death Cab for Cutie (a local band), Japanese Breakfast, Orville Peck, Peaches, and much more. While the music is a draw, Bumbershoot also boasts a bevy of visual arts and cultural programs spanning comedy, film, dance, fashion, and more.

The massive programming unfolds over a 74-acre campus as a multidisciplinary celebration of creative expression. It’s divided into sections corresponding to different art disciplines, along with some events held off-site. The Fashion District, for instance, will feature original runway presentations from more than five local clothing designers, alongside a merchant marketplace that’ll spotlight 15 regional vendors.

Those who love action sports will want to traverse the Recess District. It’s planning BMX programming, with a “participatory spectacle” aspect to its entertainment that includes the Dope Planet Evening Spectacular. And while not extreme sports, Bumbermania! offers another form of sports spectacle, this time in high-energy wrestling showcases. It also features roaming performers, carnival-style slideshows, and other interactive elements alongside a puppet playhouse in a geodesic dome.

The Fisher Rooftop is where attendees can enjoy Bumbershoot’s interdisciplinary dance and composition program. There will be live performances featuring dance groups and composers, as well as Motley Zoo, with its popular Cat Circus returning for the fourth year, featuring a troop of felines—all up for adoption. Watch even more performances with VIDEORAMA: Northwest Shorts, a new program in 2026. It’s hosted at the nearby Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) and features all-day screenings celebrating indie Northwest filmmaking.

Also off-site is PROTEST! at A/NT Gallery. Presented in collaboration with History Link and Cannonball Arts, it spans more than a century of activism and civil disobedience in Seattle from 1919 to 2026. The show explores Seattle’s evolving history of protest movements and the collective action taken by its residents.

Tickets for the event are still available. Learn more about the festival and get your passes on Bumbershoot’s website.

The Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival returns to the Seattle Center from September 5 to September 6, 2026.

Photo: Lance Mercer

Photo: McKill

While the music is a draw, Bumbershoot also boasts a bevy of visual arts and cultural programs spanning comedy, film, dance, fashion, and more.

Photo: Michael Jacobson

Photo: Eric Tra

Wrestling, circus performers, and fashion shows are just some of what’s planned for 2026.

Photo: Eric Tra

Photo: Travis Trautt

Photo: Murphy Gilson

Event Information:
Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival
September 5, 2026–September 6, 2026
Seattle Center Campus
305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109, U.S.A.

Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Infamous PR.

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READ: Wrestling, Cat Circus, and Fashion Shows: What You Can Expect at the 2026 Bumbershoot Festival

 

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Death Valley, California, is the hottest place in North America. The summer temperatures regularly reach 120°F (49°C), and overnight lows aren’t much better, still in the 90s°F (mid-30s°C). The dusty desert landscape seems like the last place you’d see a field full of flowers, but for the first time in 10 years, that’s exactly what happened. Death Valley just concluded its superbloom, a term used to describe the perfect conditions in which the cracks of the desert floor open to reveal purple, yellow, pink, and white flowers. The juxtaposition of the harsh, hot horizon cloaked in color was a spectacular sight at Death Valley National Park (Death Valley NP)—and luckily, some photographers and videographers were on hand to capture the magic.

Death Valley NP is not only the hottest place on the continent, but also the driest. The park typically receives about 2 inches of rain in a year. Between November 2025 and January 2026, however, things were different; the park welcomed 2.5 inches of rain in just a few months. The extra moisture spurred dormant seeds, so this spring saw bountiful blooms. The flowers began to emerge in early February and were gone by early May.

Superblooms generally happen once a decade. In the past, Death Valley experienced them in 1998, 2005, and 2016. They are important to the ecosystem, as more flowers attract more pollinators such as butterflies, birds, and bees that would otherwise avoid Death Valley.

Scroll down to see some of the gorgeous desert flowers from the 2026 Death Valley superbloom, and begin marking your calendars for the next one in a decade or so.

Death Valley just concluded its superbloom, a term used to describe the perfect conditions in which purple, yellow, pink, and white flowers cover the harsh landscape.

 

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A post shared by Vitor Rodrigues / Travel / Adventure / Photography (@v_outdoors)

The park typically receives about 2 inches of rain in a year. Between November 2025 and January 2026, however, things were different; the park welcomed 2.5 inches of rain in just a few months.

 

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A post shared by Department of the Interior (@usinterior)

The extra moisture spurred dormant seeds, so this spring saw bountiful blooms. The flowers began to emerge in early February and were gone by early May.

 

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A post shared by Roadtrippin with kids (@daniellsgothedistance)

 

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A post shared by Susie Kara Slater (@susiehikes)

Superblooms generally happen once a decade. In the past, Death Valley experienced them in 1998, 2005, and 2016.

 

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A post shared by Nicole Zelkowitz // Travel + Adventure (@avecnicole)

 

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A post shared by Maui Zaddy (@mauizaddy)

They are important to the ecosystem, as more flowers attract more pollinators like butterflies, birds, and bees that would otherwise avoid Death Valley.

 

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A post shared by Marlon Holden (@marlonholden)

 

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A post shared by nathaniel wise (@nathanielwise)

Source: Death Valley National Park's First Major Superbloom in a Decade

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READ: Rare Superbloom in Death Valley Cloaks the Desert Floor in Vibrant Florals