Jax. Hgts. sculpture pays tribute the people of NYC
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.26 COM | OCT. 29 - NOV. 4, 2021
it should also be a part of
the economic rebuilding
of NYC. I recently read a
report from The U.S. Bureau
of Economic Analysis
that states that the
arts and culture sector
contributes $119.9 billion
to New York’s economy,
representing 7.8% of the
state’s GDP.”
Melander is one of
3,000 New York Citybased
artists to receive
$5,000 through the City
Artist Corps Grants program,
presented by The
New York Foundation for
the Arts (NYFA) and the
New York City Department
of Cultural Affairs
(DCLA), with support
from the Mayor’s Office
of Media and Entertainment
(MOME) as well as
Queens Theatre.
The artist has received
a New Works
Grant for the second
time. This project is
made possible, in part,
by the Queens Council
on the Arts with public
funds from the New York
City Department of Cultural
Affairs in partnership
with the City Council.
Melander first moved
to Jackson Heights
around 1987 to form a
garage punk band and
spent the interim years
living on the Lower East
Side. Living in the city
for years, surrounded
by different arts and culture
was an inspiring
experience for the artist.
Melander has now
lived in Jackson Heights
with his husband for
more than 20 years. He
first started making
art with clothes around
2002.W
hile working on a
series of sculptures made
with hand-carved metal
suitcases, he came up
with the idea of creating
display columns from
carefully folded secondhand
clothing. Over the
course of that project,
he started working with
clothing, making new
projects every day.
Melander creates
clothing sculptures that
explore the intersection
between global consumerism
and the intimate
relationship that people
have with what they
wear. Most of his recent
works are made from
secondhand clothing,
sourced from specific locations
and populations.
“I work with secondhand
clothing because
it is an emotionally resonant
medium. As clothing
wears, fades, stains
and stretches, it becomes
an intimate record of our
physical presence, like
a second skin. It traces
the edge of the body,
defining the boundary
between the self and the
outside world,” Melander
said.
During the exhibition
in Jackson Heights,
the artist will collect
secondhand clothing at
the events and use the
donations to create additional
units for future
installations. Clean garments
of all types will be
accepted at the event and
pickups can be arranged
as well.
BY BENEDETTA
TOMMASELLI
A sculpture paying
tribute to the people of
New York City will be
displayed in Jackson
Heights next month.
Artist Derick Melander’s
new sculpture,
“The Witness,” will be
installed outdoors at Diversity
Plaza and Travers
Park for three days
beginning on Nov. 12
through 14, from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m.
The design of the
piece is modular and
flexible, allowing for
multiple configurations.
Throughout each day
of the installation, Melander
will rearrange
the units and actively
engage with passersby
about contemporary art.
“The Witness” —
which is made from
wood and thousands of
secondhand garments
sourced from the local
community during the
COVID-19 pandemic —
refers to the collective
act of living through
the ongoing pandemic
and pays homage to New
Yorkers.
With this work, Melander
hopes to reach
those who aren’t as exposed
to contemporary
art and who are underserved
by cultural programming.
Most importantly,
he hopes his art
will bring emotional
recovery to those who
were impacted by the
pandemic.
“Art communicates
with its own unique
language. It can bypass
the mind and provide
a direct balm for the
heart, to help us heal,”
Melander said. “Art
should be a part of our
emotional recovery but
A rendering of Derick Melander’s artwork that will be
installed in Jackson Heights.
Photo courtesy of Melander
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