Around 1966 Hanson began making figural casts using fiberglass and vinyl. Works that first brought him notice were of figures grouped in tableaux, some depicting brutal and violent subjects. Hanson's "Abortion" (1966) was inspired by the horrors of an illicit backroom procedure, and "Accident" (1967) showed a motorcycle crash. "Race Riot" (1969–1971) included among its seven figures a white policeman terrorizing an African American man as well as an African American rioter attacking the policeman. Other works which dealt with physical violence or other explosive social issues of the 1960s were "Riot" (1967), "Football Players" (1969), and "Vietnam Scene" (1969).