Long Island man makes Disney-inspired art from electrical tape

Auto parts stores aren’t generally known for their artistic value, but that’s what Matthew Magilavy found when he first stepped into one when he was about 5.

His mother, Nancy Popper, of Syosset, brought him with her to buy some new windshield wipers and there it was: a display of electrical tape, shiny, sticky and colorful. Magilavy needed to have a roll or two or three.

In the nearly 25 years since, he has used hundreds of rolls of the tape to build a world of his own.

Magilavy, 29, who has autism and is largely nonverbal, is getting recognition for his artwork for the first time, with a monthlong display at the Seaford Public Library. The collection features sculptures constructed of tape and drawings, many based on television and movie characters.

“What he was trying to do was to bring these characters that he saw in two dimensions on TV and in movies into his life,” Popper said. “This was his world and he made it part of his everyday 3-D world by creating them out of tape.”

The sculptures, the results of more than a decade of effort, resemble characters that could have jumped out of a Disney film. A large orange bull. A nearly 2-foot-long puffy colorful train inspired by one in “Dumbo.” An abstract version of an old car, similar to Mr. Toad’s car in an animation of the “The Wind in the Willows.”

Another theme in his art is mothers and children. At the library, one display features nearly 20 drawings of animal families in the style of classic Disney animation.

“He’s used art to express himself and understand emotions,” said his sister, Abby Magilavy, 31, of Melville. “You can tell in his drawings with how he captures expressions.”

Magilavy, who is from Syosset but attended Seaford High School, was always a visual kid, his family said. When he was a child, the family often communicated with him by pointing at pictures. Then he started drawing his own.

But it wasn’t until this year that his family and aide encouraged him to put his artwork on display.

Debbie Mirer, 57, of Seaford, is Magilavy’s aide during the week. In the fall, she approached the Seaford library, which features one artist a month, and asked if Magilavy might fit into their artist showcase lineup. His work is normally in his room, hidden from the world, she said.

“He’s such a talented young man, he’s got lots of ideas,” she said. “I just wanted to see it shown.”

Librarian Kristen Jording, who schedules the art exhibits, said the library was proud to display Magilavy’s art and the response from visitors has been positive.

In his bedroom workshop, Magilavy has a TV and tablets set up to replay seconds-long sequences and scenes from his favorite movies that catch his eye. Magilavy likes older Disney films and vintage cartoons, particularly those that feature birds. He has seen more recent Disney films, his mother said, but always prefers “Bambi,” “Dumbo” and “Sleeping Beauty.”

He also has an interest in Disney title cards from the 1950s and 1960s.

His current work is incredibly detailed. He works in two media: colored pencil and paper, and electrical tape and scissors. When replicating title cards from Disney films, his cuts are precise to make sure each tiny letter is an exact match to the font used, for example, but he uses no stencils. As for his drawings, they’re all done from memory, Popper said.

“He’s never had formal art lessons,” she said. “He’s taught himself everything.”

Magilavy’s art will remain on display at the Seaford library through Jan. 31.