The Metal Man

The Metal Man. Artist Danny Killion. , You are currently standing in the location of the historic nail shop at New-Gate Prison, where incarcerated men made wrought iron nails as part of their forced prison labor. Much of what we know about life at New-Gate comes from historic documents written by people in positions of authority. Official reports, and even tourist accounts make up most of the historic record. The voices of those who were actually incarcerated here were seldom documented. , Incorporating voices and perspectives from people impacted by modern-day incarceration is one way the museum hopes to fill the gaps in our historic record. The sculpture you see here, created by artist Danny Killion, emphasizes the humanity in every person. Even in his machine-like state, The Metal Man's face displays deep emotion, encouraging the viewer to have empathy for his condition as he works to make nails and looks out past the prison walls. , "On entering the smithy, some went to the sides of the forges, where collars, dependent by iron chains from the roof, were fastened round their necks, and others were chained in pairs to wheelbarrows." , Edward Augustus Kendall, Travels Through the Northern Parts of the United States, 1807-1809, 1809 , "Each prisoner was required to make a certain number of pounds of nails as a days work, a failure to perform the task was reported to the keeper, when if a good excuse was not given, punishment was inflicted of five to ten stripes with a cowhide, upon the naked back in the presence of all in the shop." , Anonymous Guard's Recollection, "State Correspondence-More About the Connecticut New-Gate," 1870 , This project is really important to me, especially how it all came to be. I am an ex-con who spent over a decade incarcerated, but because of the CPA [Community Partners in Action] Prison Arts program, I was able to collaborate on this project. Even though I am no longer in prison, I am still able to be a part of the program and hopefully help other incarcerated people know that they can change their lives through creativity. , Being able to work on art, like this sculpture, in my own backyard is one of my favorite things to do. It brings joy to my existence, which was not the case prior to my incarceration. Nobody is committing crimes because their life is amazing. Their life is not going well, and sure we can blame them for their poor choices, but we also have to consider the aspects that contribute to that. Having The Metal Man live at New-Gate will hopefully encourage conversations about what it really means to be incarcerated; past, present, and future. , ( photo captions ) , , The Metal Man, original sketch by Danny Killion, 2022. , , Artist Danny Killion