![AlleyDisneyland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/AlleyDisneyland.jpg)
Hamtramck Disneyland is a yard art
folk art
Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative. The makers of folk art are typically tr ...
located in
Hamtramck, Michigan
Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of ...
begun by a man named Dmytro Szylak. Hamtramck Disneyland was started in 1992 and came to be finished in 1999. It is built on a 30-foot
backyard on top of two adjacent
garages. Dmytro was born in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, and also once lived in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. After immigrating to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, he worked for
General Motors, but soon after his retirement he felt the need to find a hobby. Dmytro began piling together different objects—some old, some new, and some bought, while others were hand crafted. This towering structure stands tall above his house and garage. Over the course of 12 years, Dmytro continued to add different pieces to his work, which eventually grew to be a
collage.
History
The notion of building his artwork began when Dmytro Szylak, a
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
immigrant, retired from
General Motors. After working 32 years, Szylak began to search for a hobby, which led to the creative idea of building Hamtramck Disneyland. To utilize his spare time, and with the idea of bringing something new to the city, Szylak began to convert his own
backyard into a piece of art. It is a homemade construction built on top of two adjacent garages; a 30-ft. collage filled with pictures of
Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
and other
pop stars, year-round
Christmas lights
Christmas lights (also known as fairy lights, festive lights or string lights) are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom g ...
, wooden soldiers armed with toy guns, and
American flags
The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ...
, among many other things. In 1992, when Szylak started building his work in his backyard, he endured many difficulties. Neighbors and city officials were against Szylak’s idea of constructing artwork in his
garage
A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include:
*Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...
rooftop
A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temper ...
. Szylak was later honored by the mayor of Hamtramck and his works have been displayed in many local art shows. In 2006
Bruce Weber shot a photo shoot with
Kate Moss for Women’s Wear magazine in the site and around various other places in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
.
Dmytro Syzlak died on 1 May 2015 at the age of 92.
As of June 2015, the future of the work was uncertain—his estate was still tied up in probate court.
[
The site went on the market on 3 March 2016 and was bought by a local group, Hatch Art, for $100,000.] The houses consist of four apartments—three are rented out to defray costs and the other is for an artist in residence.[
]
Design and theme
The work is a collaboration of various ordinary objects put together to form a towering structure. The creator of this collage, Dmytro Szylak, used these objects to create his own interpretation of Disneyland. It is decorated with various objects ranging from mechanical fan
A fan is a powered machine used to create a flow of air. A fan consists of a rotating arrangement of vanes or blades, generally made of wood, plastic, or metal, which act on the air. The rotating assembly of blades and hub is known as an ''im ...
propellers
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
to plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...
horses and a massive handmade jet aircraft. The major theme that seems very much evident throughout the collage is that of a carnival. One will notice that Dmytro has a recurring design throughout the entire structure. He used plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...
horses for a carousel. The primary colors he chose to use were yellow, blue and red. These three colors were on many of the structures, which would signify his heritage. Dmytro was a native Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
and he used the yellow and blue colors on his project to show his pride for his home country. He also used yellow and red for some of his propellers, seeing as he once resided in Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
before immigrating to America. Dmytro also used many handcrafted cutouts of men in uniform. The wooden cutouts of men were placed under what seemed to be missiles
In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...
that were intensely decorated with Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
lights. The men also had one eye painted in the middle of their heads. On the other side of the yard, there stands a windmill
A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...
which has different cutouts of men and women who appear to be doing manual labor such as cutting a log with a saw and cooking.
Toward the back of the structure, which can be seen through the alley, the structure takes a different turn with more vivid colors and paintings placed next to each other. There are also framed newspapers featuring Dmytro's work, as well as a collage of pictures of him with his artwork. The back of the structure covers both garage tops. From the back the fans and propellers are seen next to each other, giving the structure a flying movement. On the back side there sits a sign saying “Welcome to Art Show”. It really is an art exhibition
An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhi ...
; on the back side of the structure there are many more frames, and wooden objects such as the Statue of Liberty and soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
s. Way above all the rest of the objects are a carousel. On that side you can see the distinct connection between his American, Ukrainian, and German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
heritage.
The collaboration of all these objects was just Dmytro's way of self-expression through a form of art. Dmytro said everything he made with this “Disneyland” was unplanned, and it fell together on its own. He had no set plan and no blueprint of how it should look; he began from the ground up.
Visiting the site
The exhibition is located in an alley between Klinger and Sobieski Streets, south of Carpenter Avenue, in Hamtramck
Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of Hi ...
, Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamtramck Disneyland
Hamtramck, Michigan
Buildings and structures in Wayne County, Michigan
Roadside attractions in Michigan
Tourist attractions in Wayne County, Michigan
American folk art
Art in Michigan
1990s establishments in Michigan