EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: ARTIST LINDA FRIEDMAN SCHMIDT ON TEXTILE ART, RESISTANCE, AND RECLAIMING POWER—FEATURED IN “THE ART OF RESISTANCE” ISSUE
The Untitled Magazine sat down with acclaimed textile artist Linda Friedman Schmidt for “THE ART OF RESISTANCE” Art Edition of The Untitled Magazine for an exclusive interview. Created in conjunction with The Untitled Space‘s 10th-anniversary exhibition, UPRISE 2025: The Art of Resistance, Schmidt’s featured works transform discarded clothing into powerful emotional portraits that confront political manipulation, female empowerment, and the resilience of the human spirit. In this exclusive interview, Schmidt discusses how her personal history, activist practice, and innovative use of reclaimed textiles challenge conventional ideas of power, autonomy, and resistance.
Linda Friedman Schmidt is a self-taught artist whose powerful emotional portraits—crafted from discarded clothing—serve as a direct challenge to the forces of control, manipulation, and societal apathy. Her work combines fragments of personal history with broader political, social, and feminist themes, creating striking visual narratives that force viewers to confront uncomfortable truths. Through her use of discarded materials, Schmidt reclaims what society has cast aside and breathes new life into what many have deemed unworthy. In doing so, she challenges us all to reassess our understanding of power, autonomy, and human dignity.
Born stateless in a German displaced persons camp as the first child of Holocaust survivors, Schmidt’s work is deeply personal. Her history of trauma and survival is woven into every piece, reflecting the ongoing struggle against forces that seek to silence, dehumanize, and control. Schmidt’s portraits are not just artistic expressions—they are radical acts of resistance. As she states, “My emotional narrative portraits are a visual response to dark and challenging times. We are living in a world of fascist centralized control with the illusion of a democracy, a country with a dictatorial leader who issues ultimatums. We are being distracted and influenced to waste time being entertained and fooled by clowns in media, entertainment, sports, and politics. Crisis actors, fake experts, fake doctors, fake scientists, and fake politicians in the scripted circus are fooling us about everything. Most are too busy looking at their cellphones or the clowns in the clown show to realize that we are being manipulated.” Through her art, Schmidt calls attention to this manipulation and urges us to look beyond the distractions, to wake up to the reality of our present situation, and to resist the forces that seek to control us.
Schmidt’s work has been widely exhibited in respected museums across the United States and internationally, cementing her place as an influential voice in contemporary art. She has shown her work at the American Folk Art Museum, Allentown Art Museum, Montclair Art Museum, Morris Museum, and New Jersey State Museum, among others. Internationally, her art has been featured at the Contextile Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art in Portugal, the Retazos Testimoniales de Chile y Otras Latitudes exhibition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Every Woman Biennial in London, UK. Her works are also housed in esteemed private collections around the world. Schmidt has been curated by renowned figures such as artist Faith Ringgold, feminist icon Judy Chicago, and MoMA’s Anne Umland, among others.
Schmidt’s medium—discarded clothing—holds deep significance, symbolizing the ways in which society casts aside those deemed “unworthy.” Her work reclaims these materials, transforming them into powerful visual statements about identity, autonomy, and the resilience of the human spirit. “Discarded is my medium,” Schmidt explains. “It is the second skin, an extension of the self. It is porous, tactile, pliable, fragile, and emotional just like human skin; it is susceptible to harm and manipulation, just like human beings are.” Through her art, Schmidt transforms what society has rejected into something meaningful, powerful, and full of potential.
For Schmidt, the act of reusing discarded clothing is not just about creating art; it is a personal act of survival and resistance. “My work is about reclaiming strength from what has been thrown away,” she says. “It is about finding value in the devalued and giving it new life.” Each piece reflects a struggle against forces that seek to silence or oppress, whether it be through historical trauma, political manipulation, or societal indifference. Schmidt’s portraits challenge us to rethink the value we place on people, ideas, and materials—asking us to see beauty and strength in what has been discarded.
Schmidt’s portraits also speak to the broader theme of empowerment, particularly the empowerment of women. Her works encourage women to reject the limitations placed on them by society and to reclaim their autonomy. “It reframes ideas about power and gender and encourages women to step into their full power and potential,” Schmidt says. “It encourages dialogue about female empowerment, political resistance, and refusal to be controlled.” Her art pushes back against the forces of patriarchy and social expectation, urging women to break free of the constraints that have long held them back.
One of Schmidt’s most powerful works, Ruler of Myself, is a direct challenge to the symbols of power and wealth that are often associated with authority. In this portrait, Schmidt depicts a naked queen, stripped of the royal trappings of jewels and lavish clothing. The queen is exposed, vulnerable, and human, her power not derived from external symbols but from her own sovereignty. “I believe that all women are queens,” Schmidt states. “No one is better than anyone else.” This piece challenges the idea that power is inherently tied to wealth, status, or material possessions, and instead suggests that true power lies within.
Schmidt uses discarded clothing and junk jewelry in the piece to explore themes of worth, value, and freedom. “Royals are known to derive power, relevance, and status through their jewels, expensive clothing, tapestries, and art,” she notes. “I’ve stripped away the queen’s status and exposed her humanity.” By doing so, Schmidt levels the playing field, suggesting that no one, regardless of status or wealth, is inherently superior to anyone else. Through Ruler of Myself, Schmidt encourages women to step into their full potential, to reject the societal norms that seek to define them, and to embrace their sovereignty.
The queen, stripped of her royal garments and exposed for who she truly is, becomes a symbol of the empowerment Schmidt wishes to see in all women. “My power is in my creativity,” Schmidt asserts. This piece, like much of her work, urges women to recognize their own power, to reject the external forces that seek to define them, and to reclaim their agency. It is a powerful statement about the importance of self-sovereignty and the right to live without limitations.
In Fooled, Schmidt uses the figure of the court jester to explore the manipulation and distraction of the public by those in power. Historically, the jester was the only figure in the royal court who could speak the truth without fear of retribution, yet his words were often dismissed. Schmidt’s Fooled critiques the way society has become complicit in its own deception, particularly in relation to media, politics, and entertainment. “The reality of the betrayal is too painful and scary to face and is blocked from awareness,” Schmidt observes. “People want to be fooled. They like seeing the cartoon version of reality.”
In Fooled, Schmidt asks viewers to consider the role that media, politicians, and entertainers play in keeping society distracted from the truths of their own existence. The piece encourages viewers to question the narratives they are fed, to see through the “clowns in the clown show” and the “fake experts” who dominate the media landscape. Schmidt’s work in this piece, as in much of her art, confronts the viewer with the choice between illusion and truth, between comfort and reality. “Which do you prefer—a dressed-up lie, or the naked truth?” Schmidt asks.
Fooled is both a critique of the current political and social climate and a call to action. Schmidt’s work urges us to see the manipulation for what it is and to resist being distracted by the false promises and illusions of those in power. It is a piece about reclaiming truth, rejecting false narratives, and empowering ourselves to see beyond the distractions that seek to keep us passive and complicit.
Textiles have long been a medium of resistance, and Schmidt’s use of fabric and thread is a continuation of this tradition. “Textiles are a powerful international language with the power to dissent and disrupt,” Schmidt observes. Throughout history, textile art has often been overlooked or undervalued, yet it has been used as a subversive tool in many social movements. Schmidt draws on this rich tradition, using textiles to create a visual language that speaks to issues of power, autonomy, and resistance.
Each of Schmidt’s pieces is entirely handmade, with techniques including hand-cutting, hand-stitching, hand hooking, hand embroidery, and sculptural elements. “The violent part of the process—cutting, twisting, folding, and bending—serves as a metaphor for how humanity has been treated for centuries,” Schmidt explains. “In hopes of a better future, I combine and intermingle the diverse pieces to form a unified, harmonious new whole.” Her art reflects a vision of unity and strength—one where, despite the violence and adversity we face, we can come together to create something beautiful, powerful, and transformative.
Schmidt’s work challenges the dominant narratives of power and control, using the humble medium of textiles to create powerful, subversive messages about resistance and empowerment. Through her art, Schmidt urges us all to recognize the strength that lies within us, to resist the forces that seek to divide and control, and to embrace the beauty and resilience that comes from reclaiming what has been discarded.
Linda Friedman Schmidt’s art is a bold statement of resistance, empowerment, and reclamation. Through her emotional narrative portraits, she challenges the status quo and confronts the forces that seek to manipulate, control, and oppress. Her use of discarded materials is a powerful metaphor for the reclamation of identity, autonomy, and dignity. Schmidt’s work calls on all of us to reject the false narratives that keep us passive, to reclaim our power, and to live without limitations. Through creativity, resistance, and reclamation, Schmidt shows us that we have the power to create change and to become the sovereign beings we were always meant to be. Her art offers a vision of empowerment and hope in a world that often seeks to silence us. Through her work, Schmidt reminds us that we are stronger, more resilient, and more powerful than we have been led to believe.
