The WOW Story

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- about us -
We're a one-of-a-kind traveling foundry, driven to empower others through transformative art.
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Established in 2005 by Sara Hanson, the WOW Mobile Metal Lab is known for its collaborative public art installations, workshops/classes, make-and-take events, and educational demonstrations.

WOW celebrates the individual and the collective with accessible programming for all skill levels and ages. WOW is fully mobile and self-contained—we bring the entire cast metal process to you.

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-history of-

A Workshop on Wheels

During the first years of WOW, Sara operated out of a truck with a trailer. When confronted by the constraints of seasonality and limited space, innovation sparked.

In 2018, the WOW Mobile Lab and Show underwent a transformation. By organizing grants, a KIVA loan, and a kickstarter, Sara was able to purchase and fully renovate a Metro Transit City bus. The traveling foundry is equipped with running water, fourteen indoor work stations, foundries, and plenty of standing room. The updates allow the bus to easily accommodates large events of up to 300 people or feel intimate enough for a small group experience.

While the bus can, and does, travel all throughout the Twin Cities Metro and beyond, Sara has a permanent parking spot in the Sculpture Quad at the Casket Art Building in NE Minneapolis. You can find her there maintaining the bus, operating workshops, or planning her next public art project.

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-about-
the artist
Sara Hanson is a sculptor and public artist, driven by exploration, experimentation and discovery. For her, art is a transformative process in every way. Her work with the WOW Mobile Lab and Show allows the individual to connect with that transformation in a very physical sense. She delights in witnessing a participant’s wonder at working with metal: carving a mold, melting down their material, seeing it harden and take the shape of their vision.
It was this idea, that you can create anything you envision, that first inspired her love for casting metal. Sara strives to make the creative process visible and accessible to all. She’s worked with with all ages and abilities. She is always inspired by participants’ empowerment and excitement. “It’s a transformative process,” Sara says, for everyone involved.
Art should be available to everyone as a way to invest in local communities, explore one’s self, and beautify the environment.
— Sara Hanson
-about-

Our Programs

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Education

Teaching children and adults the joys—and science!—of metal foundry.
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Art-Object Making

Personalized pendants, lucky charms, belt buckles, 3D printed objects, new moon ritual castings, bottle openers, door hinges and wall hooks: you name it, we cast it.
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Public Art

Sculptures, collaborations, earth rovers traveling the Universe and Beyond.
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Teambuilding

One-of-a-kind experiences to foster camaraderie in the workplace.
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Cast Metal

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BIOSCENIC Travel Machine

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Cast Metal

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Visible Transformation · Corporate Teambuilding · Public Art · Take-And-Make Art ·
Visible Transformation · Corporate Teambuilding · Public Art · Take-And-Make Art ·