Begin with the place.
Every site has its own character: history, architecture, landscape, purpose, and people. I look for the idea that could belong nowhere else.
SCULPTURE / MONUMENTAL MOSAIC / PUBLIC SPACE
Art that belongs
to a place.
And becomes part of its story.
EXPLORE THE WORKFEATURED INSTALLATIONGUARDIANS OF WAUKEE / 2026
01 / THE PURPOSE
More than something
to look at.
A place has a history.
A community has a story.
Art can bring them together.
I create original public artworks that grow from the character of their surroundings and the people who experience them. From monumental stained-glass mosaics to site-specific sculpture, every commission begins with listening—and ends with something made to endure.
How I approach a commission02 / SELECTED COMMISSIONS
Work made
to be lived with.
Art does its best work when it belongs. Explore a selection of completed public and institutional installations.
COMPLETED COMMISSIONS / SELECTED WORKExplore qualifications
THE ART OF CONNECTION
“The most lasting artworks— CLINT HANSEN
don't just mark a place.
They become part of it.”
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY / LARGE-SCALE STAINED-GLASS MOSAIC
03 / THE APPROACH
The idea matters.
So does the making.
A compelling work of public art must be moving in its meaning, appropriate to its place, and thoughtfully made for the realities of the world around it.
Discuss your site or opportunityFind the human story.
Working with stakeholders and selection committees, I shape a concept with meaning people can discover, revisit, and make their own.
Honor the material.
Whether composing thousands of pieces of glass or creating sculptural forms in steel, material and craftsmanship are integral to the idea—not an afterthought.
Make it for the long view.
Fabrication, weather, installation, maintenance, timelines, and collaboration all help determine whether a work becomes a lasting part of the community.
ARTIST'S CONCEPT RENDERING — NOT AN INSTALLED WORK04 / IDEAS IN DEVELOPMENT
PROPOSED WORK / OCTOBER 2026
The Art
of Becoming.
A place to imagine what's possible.
Developed for Waukee's Spring Crest Park, this proposed sculpture translates the prairie landscape into rising forms and monarch butterflies. Three butterflies would move subtly in the wind. At its heart is a belief that just as a butterfly emerges from its chrysalis, every child carries the potential to become something extraordinary.
APPROX. 12 FTLASER-CUT STAINLESS STEELSUBTLE KINETIC ELEMENTS
05 / THE ARTIST
An artist's eye.
A maker's hands.
Clint Hansen
Public artist. Sculptor. Mosaic muralist.
Urbandale, Iowa.
I come from five generations of makers and artists. My grandfather and father welded; my great-grandfather was a blacksmith. I learned early that an idea becomes more powerful when you have the curiosity—and the patience—to make it real.
Today, my work lives in civic spaces, parks, universities, and corporate environments. I bring more than three decades of professional creative experience to each commission, paired with a hands-on understanding of materials, fabrication, and the responsibility of creating for the public.
The most rewarding part is rarely the moment of installation. It is seeing people encounter the work, recognize something of themselves in it, and begin making memories around it.
EDUCATIONBFA, Graphic Design
Iowa State University · Cum Laude
Iowa State University · Cum Laude
DISCIPLINESPublic sculpture
Monumental glass mosaic
Monumental glass mosaic
LOCATIONBased in Urbandale, Iowa
Available for commissioned projects
Available for commissioned projects
06 / IN THEIR WORDS
THOUGHTFUL COLLABORATION / LASTING RESULTSCommissioner testimonials
I can't imagine a more seamless process than working with Clint Hansen. His vision was creative and insightful.
His greatest gift is his ability to listen, discern, and deliver the art piece's intent.
07 / QUALIFICATIONS
Creative vision.
Proven delivery.
For a commissioning committee, a compelling concept is only half the equation. Completed work, collaboration, sound fabrication decisions, and the ability to finish matter just as much.
Download artist qualifications6 × 38 FT
Iowa State Alumni Center monumental glass mosaic
55 FT
Length of one Iowa State agriculture pavilion mural
2026
Completed the Waukee Public Safety Center steel installation
SELECTED COMMISSIONING ORGANIZATIONS
City of Waukee · City of Urbandale · Polk County Conservation · Iowa State University · John Deere Financial
Professional references and project-specific qualifications are available for RFQs, civic selection panels, and private commissions.
08 / BEGIN A CONVERSATION
Have a place
in mind?
Perhaps it's a new public space, an important anniversary, a campus, a park, or a story waiting to be told. Tell me a little about what you're imagining. Every memorable commission begins with a conversation.
TELL ME ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY 01 — 06