Yuriy Melnychuk is a Ukrainian master of folk embroidery, researcher and popularizer of traditional Ukrainian embroidery. He was born in 1963 in Cherkasy region, graduated from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Geography of the Kiev Pedagogical Institute named after O. M. Gorky. Since 1995, he has worked at the National Center of Folk Culture "Ivan Honchar Museum", where he held the position of Deputy General Director for Scientific and Fund Work and headed the Studio of Ukrainian Folk Embroidery "Oriyana". In 1992, he founded the youth creative group "Tsvit" with the aim of reviving ancient Ukrainian embroidery. Since 2014, he has headed the public organization "Center of Ukrainian Embroidery and Costume "Oriyana".
Melnychuk explores the semantics of Ukrainian folk embroidery, the ceremonial functions of clothing, reconstructs embroidery stitches, cuts of clothing and towels, and introduces traditional Ukrainian sewing into modern clothing and interior design. His works are kept in the National Museum of Hutsul and Pokuttya, Ukrainian museums in Edmonton and New York, and in the White House in Washington.
