CLINTON, Iowa (KWQC) – A new public art project is taking shape in Clinton, bringing together history, creativity and community involvement.
Three giant wooden troll sculptures are being built in the city with help from local volunteers.
The project, based on designs by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, is expected to draw tens of thousands of visitors every year.
“There’s a huge online presence of troll hunters, and once you’ve seen one troll, you want to see all of them,” Andy Green, director of the Sawmill Museum, said. “So we’re preparing for 60 to 100,000 visitors every year just coming in here to Clinton to see the trolls.”
While Dambo created the designs, it’s his team—along with local volunteers—who are bringing the sculptures to life using reclaimed materials sourced from around the community.
Among them is Scott Davis, part of Dambo’s artist team. Originally from Texas, he now lives in Oakland, California, and has helped build several troll sculptures across the U.S.
“I am an oil painter and now a recycled wood sculptor,” Davis said. “I am working on one of the hands for the troll. This is going to be a hand that is resting on the belly… this is a mock-up of the angles that all the fingers are going to be at.”
Volunteers of all experience levels are taking part in the build, working alongside project leaders to assemble the intricate wooden structures.
Drew Mangler is one of them, a volunteer helping build the sculptures piece by piece.
The process involves creativity and problem-solving, as builders work with reclaimed wood that doesn’t always fit perfectly.
“Find a piece that fits—if it doesn’t, find something else that’ll work,” Davis said. “It’s all mostly scrap wood, so it’s kind of like putting a puzzle together, except the pieces don’t always fit.”
Green said the sculptures are meant to tell a story rooted in Clinton’s past.
“Our board president had seen the trolls and thought they’d be a great way to not only bring art to Clinton, but also to share Clinton’s lumber history,” Green said.
That history dates back to the late 1800s, when Clinton was known as the “Lumber Capital of the World,” with logs transported down the Mississippi River to local sawmills.
“These trolls are not only made of lumber, but a good portion of their skin is lumber that would have been cut by one of the lumber companies,” Green said. “So we’ve been able to really tie that in with the lumber history here in Clinton.”
Dambo has created more than 170 troll sculptures worldwide, including installations in 23 states. The Clinton project will mark his first in Iowa and his first along the Mississippi River.
Project leaders said the project is expected to boost tourism and help position Clinton as a growing destination for public art and culture.
The trolls will be unveiled May 1, along with the renovated Bickelhaupt Arboretum.
One will be placed at the arboretum, one at the museum, and one in downtown Clinton.
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