Linda Joy Mullen

Taliouine

Recycled wire, recycled formal wear, paint

“In the past, I have used my clothing as rebellion and also as a desperate attempt to claim worthiness and to belong. I have wondered what our world would be like if our clothing wasn't about fitting someone else's ideal of beauty, or appropriateness, or trendiness. I imagine a scenario in which [our] inner world matched our outer one, and our apparel was not the attempt to fit in or rebel (as it was in my case) but rather an expression of the issues that unite us as people.”

— Linda Joy Mullen

About the artist

Linda Joy Mullen

American

Linda Mullen is the owner and founder of, 'Grace & Diggs,' an art business that creates, immersive and participatory art experience as well as wearable art in the form of hats, fascinators and headpieces. All work is created from upcycled materials, a value that drives design, method, and outcome. Linda's work in participatory and immersive art has its foundation in her prior career in architecture, where elements of play, imagination, and world-building were first introduced to her. She continues to investigate the character of place and belonging with her fantastical immersive backdrops and headpieces. This phase of Linda's career has its foundation in the arts community of Salem, Massachusetts, where costume and imagination are integral to local character and economy. Linda has designed and led 2 Community Art Projects for Salem Main Streets Art Festivals (2022, 2021) and mentored the lead artist in 2023. Her work has been shown in Fashion Show Fundraisers for organizations such as the Salem Arts Festival, and Long Way Home. She is the recipient of an ALAANA Grant (grants benefitting African, Latine, Arab, Asian, or Native American artists) from Essex County Community Foundation with work focusing on themes of bi-racial adoption, indigenous roots, chosen families, and belonging.