As a textile artist, I find second-hand clothing to be an emotionally resonant material. As clothing wears, fades, stains, and stretches, it becomes an intimate record of our physical presence. It traces the edge of the body, defining the boundary between the self and the outside world.
As a textile artist for over 25 years, I create work that explores the intersection between global consumerism and the intimate relationship we have with what we wear.
Explore My Work
Beginnings
The textile artist Derick Melander is a 3rd generation artist, born in Saratoga Springs, NY. In 1985 He earned his Associate Degree in Communications from Elizabeth Seton College in Yonkers, NY where he studied radio and film production. Shortly after graduation he moved to Philadelphia where he worked as an assistant to an artist, sang in a garage punk band and postered the streets with hand-printed graphics and poems.
New York
In 1987, he moved to NYC where he taught nursery school and signed a lease on his first art studio.
Art School
Derick earned his B.F.A. in 1994 from The School of Visual Arts, NYC where he was the recipient of the Chairman’s Grant. In 2002 he began to exhibit regularly and co-founded the arts organization TAG Projects.
Textile Artist
As a textile artist, he has shown widely in the US and has created special projects for The City of San Francisco, and The City of New York.
Internationally Derick has fulfilled commissions for Starstreet Precinct, Hong Kong, Carreau du Temple, Paris, France, de Warande in Turnhout, Belgium, Museum Rijswijk, The Hague, and The Solyanka Gallery in Moscow, Russia.
Recogntion
His textile art has been reviewed in The New York Times, Vogue, GQ, NPR. He was a textile artist guest lecturer at The Fashion Institute of Technology and a visiting artist at Parsons School of Design.
Recent Projects
Derick has completed commissions for The Chapman Perelman Foundation, Eileen Fisher, and Diesel and had a solo show with CAS in Livingston Manor, NY.
This past fall, Derick installed a monumental textile sculpture in Travers Park, Jackson Heights, Queens. This was the third in a series of projects designed to directly engage with the community with funding from NY Foundation for the Arts.
