Large digital files: www.yousendit.com; www.wetransfer.com
WRAPPING
Obviously there is a range of possibilities when packing work – if your work is going around the corner and being unwrapped straight away, you can use pretty much anything. If it is being shipped to different countries, it needs pretty good protection. If it is being stored, you have to use archival materials. If it is very delicate, you need proper protection…. Oil paint prefers to remain unwrapped, as will many sculptural materials, because they are organic and need to ‘breathe’ – but they have to be protected. Try to balance the needs of the work and the needs of the shipper. Always try to use archival (non-acidic) materials, in particular when they are in direct contact with the surface of your work. They are more expensive, but they will not harm your work.
For long term storage, this is essential. Try to keep and recycle materials. Use profiled foam for corners and edges – often called blue foam. Pipe lagging is available from all hardware shops and makes an inexpensive padding for corners and delicate edges of slim, hard works/framed works (after wrapping). If you cannot afford either of these, make your own with bubble wrap, cardboard and tape. Works framed with glass: place strips of tape across the front of the glass, from top to bottom and from side to side, at intervals of a couple of inches. Using good quality masking tape will avoid marking the glass. If the glass breaks, the tape will stop the glass from moving and damaging the work.
Materials
Glassine/Acid-free tissue: comes in rolls or sheets – the tissue is softer than glassine, but glassine often comes in wider rolls – use shiny side in. It is light so you save on weight costs. Try to always make this your first layer when wrapping. If you do, it will protect the surface of the work and you can then use cheaper solutions for the following layers. Place layers of this between individual works on paper.
Polythene Sheeting: great for most works to protect them from moisture and damp. It is rot-proof and resistant to most chemicals.
Polythene Foam Rolls: (Sometimes called Ethafoam – can be recycled.) Like the sheeting, but with more cushioning – excellent for packing, but slightly more expensive. It does not degrade, so this can be put against surfaces.
Bubble wrap: never put bubble wrap directly into contact with your work – it degrades and marks the work. Always layer the work with acid-free tissue first. If transporting over short distances and you have nothing else, fold the bubble wrap – bubbles in so that they don’t touch the work.
Cardboard Sheeting: is great but has a high acid content – so make sure you have a layer of tissue protecting the surface of the work. You can get archival paper board, but this is more expensive.
Loosefill: the polystyrene chips/popcorn – great for putting around sculptures. Wrap items first to avoid direct contact with surfaces.
Foamcore: is a layer of foam sandwiched between two layers of board. It comes in various thicknesses. Use the archival variety if you are using it as a first layer.
Stratocell: a polythene foam, but you can get it in thick sheets – great for lining crates. It is very light and is non-abrasive – can be re-used several times and then recycled. It also comes in pink! (for anti-static).
Crates: obviously the best option for safety-cover with several coats of polyurethane to make them water-repellent. Remember to make the crate bigger than the work so you have room for cushioning – around 5cm on each side.
- Use plywood for crates, not MDF – it takes the shock of impact better.
- For paintings in crates – screw mirror plates onto the back of the painting, and then screw into the inside back of the crate. The painting cannot move around and you do not have to use any packing materials. For oils this is particularly good so that the oil can breathe.
- With a permanent marker draw a circle around the screws that you need to take out to open the crate – this helps whoever is going to open it at the other end.
If you cannot afford a crate, wrap paintings in acid-free tissue (they must be completely dry – remember glazes can take a considerable time to dry properly), then wrap paintings in polythene sheeting. If the surface is sticky and you have to wrap it, just use polythene. Always include a condition report of your work in the packing. Ask whoever receives this to check the work against it.
HANDLING
You can use professionals, but they are more expensive and, frankly, many of them do not care about the work at all. You can learn the basics of art handling, but it seems you can never learn a feeling for art and an understanding of its value. Without this you cannot be an art handler. If you can afford to, it is always worth insuring your work – to the maximum value of the retail price. Whenever possible, have two people to handle work – especially getting into vehicles. Take your time, discuss with the team in advance how you will be moving something, which way you are moving or turning, what the general plan is.
Do not take your hands off the work without ensuring the other people know you are doing this – tell the team out loud and ensure the work is supported by others before you release it. The person who walks backward when carrying a work of art is ‘doing the Momart Shuffle’. Carry paintings by their edges, on the stretcher frame. Even when wrapped, the stretched surface of the canvas is very delicate. Don’t leave work unattended. This seems obvious, but a large sculpture by quite a famous artist was ‘lost’ recently by an art moving company – it was over 2m³! Whoever you use to handle/transport your work, remember that they are working for you and have to go at your pace. Don’t get flustered and start rushing.
For each item, give clear, firm instructions about where to hold it, how to place it in the van, etc. Generally, if transporters see you know what you want, they will comply with the mood and pace.
TRANSPORT
Who pays for transport will really depend on the space. Often artist-run/ independent spaces rely on artists to help with these kinds of costs. For gallery exhibitions it is standard practice for you to pay the cost of transportation to the show, and for them to pay the return cost. It is always worth making sure in discussions that this is the case. Museums will usually pay the costs both ways. There are many good art movers out there, but it is always worth working with them/overseeing what is happening, as some will always be better than others. The large moving companies have a range of transport options, but for smaller art movers you need to choose according to what vehicle they have.
Think about size, but also weight – will you need a tail lift to get works onto the truck? The man-with-a-van movers usually charge by the hour, but will often give you a special day rate if you have lots of deliveries to make. Always label your work – your name and address, the title of the work, any references the receiver has requested. Put as much information on the packing as possible: a broken stem glass = fragile; an umbrella = needs to remain dry; an upward arrow = which way is upright. If transporting to Europe and/or to the main fairs: Isler & Isler will do part load transport – basically you share the truck and it saves costs: www.isler-isler.ch – look under ‘Collective Shipments’ for dates.
ART TRANSPORT DIY
You can of course hire a van and do your transport yourself. This may not work out cheaper unless you have a number of deliveries to make or are going quite far. The costs add up quite quickly: the cost of hiring the van, taking that extra premium on insurance, the time it takes to pack the van and drive, asking a friend to help you, paying congestion charges and fuel. For local deliveries, with some works you can just jump in a taxi – often the most cost-efficient. If you are transporting the work yourself, you may feel less packing is necessary, as you will be in control of its safety. Never hurry while transporting work; a few minutes saved by hurrying will cost you if you have to repair work or framing.
When loading your van or car, stack works on their edges rather than flat and on top of each other. If a work slips, it can so easily apply pressure to work underneath, potentially breaking the glass or damaging the work. When loading many canvases one beside the other, always make sure you rest stretcher frame against frame. If size makes this impossible, use strips of 2”x1” timber to separate one work from another. Rest the strips of timber in a position which is against the wood of both the works it separates, and tie the timber down firmly so that it won’t move during transit. If your paintings are too large for your vehicle, you can remove them from the stretchers and roll them up.
Always roll paintings around a tube with the maximum circumference possible. Don’t roll them too tightly, and roll with the painting on the outside. This should help prevent the paint from cracking. Cover the whole thing with polythene. You can re-stretch the work in the gallery.
Strap works to the side of the van when transporting. Art moving vans will have several bars to do this, but you can make a plan in most vans. Ideally use cotton straps – don’t use string as it will dig into the works; ratchet straps are ok, but their edges are quite rough so only use if the work is properly wrapped. Place blankets between works, or between the straps and the works where necessary. Place some kind of padding between each work. Blankets are the best, but you can use anything which will absorb vibration. Tie and wedge everything so that nothing can move during transit. Drive slowly and carefully.