For its first edition, upstate open studios (uos) includes over 185 artists who will open their studios on Saturday, July 19th and Sunday, July 20th, 2025, 11am - 6pm.
Derick Melander, Textile Artist
I create textile art that explores the intersection between global consumerism and the intimate relationship we have with what we wear. About my work
Derick is a New York Foundation for the Arts grant recipient for fibre art in the public realm, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Upcoming
01/2026 “Infinitive ex/quilt”, group show
MC Gallery, 549 W 52nd Street, NY, NY
9/2026 Name TBD, solo show
Hall Space, 550 State Route 55, Eldred, NY
Podcasts: Let it Out | The Listen
Artist Talk, Roscoe Collective
It was a full house for The Roscoe Collective’s new conversation series exploring the arts, humanities, and sciences.
After sharing a presentation on my work as a textile artist, Teresa Tulipano and I discussed the complexity of fast fashion, textile waste and the often-unconscious daily ritual of getting dressed.
See the project I referenced from 2009 with the NYC Department of Sanitation to raise awareness about textile waste.
Making textile art and large-scale clothing sculptures for over 25 years, I’ve come across countless hand-sewn repairs, threadbare knees, and collars inscribed with names. These traces of life have led me to think of my works as collective portraits. As the sculptures grow and layers of second-hand clothing accumulate, the individual garments compress into a single mass. This process explores the complicated space between the individual and society — a space that is continually broken and re-constituted. More about my clothing sculptures
Today is the last day of pride month and next week on July 8th is the last day of the fundraiser I am holding for The Trevor Project. Among the works offered is this early drawing from 2005..
Each of these stacked clothing sculptures was created in direct response to a painting by my dear friend Kelly Reemtsen. Our collaborative show opened in May at Galleri Oxholm in Køge, Denmark.
I’m holding a fundraiser for The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ young people. This one-time sale runs June 24th – July 8th and is available exclusively..
We’re thrilled to invite you to the opening of our upcoming show at Galleri Oxholm. This collaborative project is a celebration of artistic dialogue—an exploration of how different materials, techniques, and perspectives..
What my hand saw, 2021. I like the idea that the hand can 'see' in a sense, making a picture in the mind of what it feels. A kind of synesthesia. It's based on a hand-sketch from a few years prior, but the germ for the idea comes from the early 90s.
It’s so nice to see this custom print installed in the office of Giorgia Lera. Giorgia is an aerospace engineer at Lafer Spa, a textile processing company in Italy. She reached out in 2019, after seeing my work in a magazine.
I’m very happy to share my first art-furniture commission. These three clothing sculptures serve as bases for a glass-topped table. The color scheme was inspired by California’s legendary sunsets, but through the lens of memory, fantasy and photo manipulation.
This Thursday is looking like the perfect day for an outdoor clothing sculpture installation. So enough nail-biting, I’m calling it! Come by in the morning to see us in action, or after lunch to see the completed piece.
These drawings seek to reconnect us with second-hand clothing and express the energy contained therein. They evolved out of my respect for second-hand clothing, which I think of as our second skin.