Derick Melander | Sculpting with Second-Hand Clothing Since 2002

Derick Melander creates clothing sculptures that explore the intersection between global consumerism and the intimate relationship we have with what we wear.

Recent commissions include projects for The Chapman Perelman Foundation, Eileen Fisher, Diesel and Swire Properties, Hong Kong.

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The Making of “A Cloud Reveals the Moon”, 2018

Derick’s most recent works are made from second-hand clothing, sourced from specific locations and populations. He gathers enormous amounts of clothing, sorts it, folds it and stacks it into geometric configurations. In doing so, he symbolically brings these populations together, creating unity and beauty from what is discarded. In a sense, these works are collective portraits. Derick celebrates and honors both the individual and the community in each work he creates.

A COVID-19 Memorial

The COVID-19 Pandemic is tragic on so many levels. When I learned that those infected and hospitalized were being separated from their loved ones, potentially dying among strangers, I felt a profound sense of grief. And as the pandemic progresses, seeing how it has disproportionally affected communities of color and the immigrant populations of New York City has shed new light on inequality and systemic racism.

Podcast Interview

I’m excited to share my interview with Kate Jetmore of The Listen Podcast. We had a great time talking about getting unstuck and, well, something paranormal happens…

Visiting Artist Lecture at Fashion Institute of Technology

I'm excited to be kicking off two projects with FIT this spring. I'll be presenting a visiting artist lecture and working as an artist in residence. I'll tell you how I came to focus on second-hand clothing, I'll review key projects and I'll share some entertaining case studies.

An Evening of Performance – Kaleidospace Collective

Really happy to be providing space to this dynamic, young group of artists. The final blow-out of my Jackson Heights pop-up studio will feature music, performance, dance, theatre..

September Pop-up Art Studio, Open to the Public

To Live is to Leave Traces takes place in a storefront art studio, open to the public, in the heart of Jackson Heights.

Night Sky, 2016 – Photographic Print Installed

So happy to create a giant photographic print of NIght Sky for the Italian collector Giorgia Lera.

New Drawings for 2019

Clothing assemblages wrapped on panels (OK, maybe there is a wig in the first one!). Also, ideas for outdoor sculptures that explore the idea of marking, directing, instructing... but lacking meaning.

Print Love!

Print love from GQ, Complex, Brutus and Textiel Plus.

Drawings From the Archive – December, 2018

Study for a quilt of sorts where the arms project upward.. plus two other drawings from the archive.

Eileen Fisher Comissions: Brooklyn, Seattle & Detroit

I just finished installing the last of 3 sculptures created for Eileen Fisher this summer. Over the course of 6 weeks, I used approximately 3,600 pounds of clothing.