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
A list of the organizations I have worked with to creatively raise awareness around textile recycling.
Photo reference for a wall panel. I'll need to start looking for lots of blacky-greens.
Dream Drawing, August 19th, 2016. I dreamt I was going through a pile of old paintings in the trash and this was underneath.
This is based on a dream I had where I was standing in an earthen pit, a bit deeper than I am tall..
This is an idea for a clothing performance piece I hope to do soon.
