Harold Carsten Hanson donated 29 Inuit carvings, three paintings and one print to the Fine Arts Collection in 1993. The collection is in honor of Hanson's deceased wife, Arlone Kruegel Hanson (LC 1939-1941). It was during numerous trips to Canada and the Arctic from the early 1950s through the mid-1970s that Hanson acquired the carvings. Most of the works in the Hanson Collection are carved from soapstone with the use of metal handsaws, drills, knives and files. Additional materials include walrus ivory and caribou antler. While carving is a primary form of Inuit art, it should be noted that these works represent a diverse group of people whose individual visions also find expression through printmaking, drawing, painting, and ceramics. The Hanson Collection also includes a few paintings by Norwegian-American artists and by the British artist Peter Scott.
After his death, Dr. Hanson's personal library was also donated to Preus Library. Consisting of books relating to the Arctic, ornithology and indigenous Canadian groups, his donation also contained books on Norwegian-American history and culture.