Nice review in the LA Times today of the Tomory Dodge show at Acme Gallery:

 http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/02/tomory-dodge-re.html 

Acme is a long time customer of Fine Art Shipping;  we sort of grew up together. Both enterprises started in small scrappy places in Santa Monica at about the same time, outgrew those, and moved on to bigger and better installations – pun intended. There truly is a parallel universe thing going on here, as Acme added more space and renovated their gallery just as we were outfitting our third warehouse with climate control –both suffering the vagaries of city planning and construction induced migraines.

Our art handlers who delivered the Tomory Dodge pieces to the show say the gallery looks grand;  those of us stuck in the office will have to get unstuck one of these days and go congratulate Bob and Randy and Dean. The show is up through March 14th along with paintings by Michael Norton — don’t miss!  http://www.acmelosangeles.com/current/

Betsy Dorfman

Many self storage facilities boast in their advertising and signage that they offer “climate controlled” storage. Chances are, they don’t. As they tilt towards full disclosure, this is amended  to “air conditioned” or “temperature controlled,” which is closer to the truth. For those needing to store sensitive or high value goods, understanding this terminology is crucial to selecting the appropriate storage venue.

At FINE ART SHIPPING, like many fine art handlers, we offer a mix of storage options including museum standard climate control.

In our case this means a facility:

 – heated and cooled as needed 24/7 to maintain a temperature range of 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit year round

–  relative humidity maintained between 45-55 percent year round

–  sufficient equipment to provide redundancy should a system experience failure

–  internet display monitored from on or offsite with snapshot printouts of readings as needed

–  filtering “clean air” technology to remove impurities from circulating air

When comparing rates among “climate controlled” services it is important to have the facility in question provide their climate specifications. They may or may not meet museum, or your, standards. An “air conditioned” facility may air condition to a point above or below the ideal for paintings.

Air conditioning, as delicious as it is, is for people; full climate control with monitored air balance is needed for correct storage of old master and other sensitive paintings and commodities.

Many  warehouses such as ourselves offering true climate controlled storage also provide  a range of companion services such as crating, inventory management, condition reporting,  viewing rooms, shipping, and insurance.  Asking for references is a good idea; if museums store at the facility you are considering it is likely the real deal.

Betsy Dorfman

FINE ART SHIPPING

    WHAT’S NEW?

In addition to our normal shuttle we are now offering a once monthly economy rate service between metro LA and metro SF.

This is the same museum quality climate service as our usual shuttle — no compromises there.

HOW CAN WE DO THIS?

 Our economy shuttle will serve primarily gallery districts and downtown areas of each city, skipping off routes and not stopping to accomplish installs or other on site services — it is essentially an “express”. Pickup and delivery sites will need to be flexible regarding timing and be ready when we come by.

Our usual shuttle is a “local” by comparison.  It makes all stops along the line, and goes to distant points as needed.  Custom in nature,  it honors time specific appointments, and will come back if you’re not ready on our first pass. Higher level of service = higher cost. 

 WHERE ?

See the maps below for areas served at the discounted rate *

*If you fall outside these areas we may be able to accommodate you however our usual (already competitive) rates will apply

PRICING – discount averages approximately 30%

EXPRESS SHUTTLE              REGULAR SHUTTLE          VOLUME

$ 125 minimum                  $ 175 minimum          15 cubic feet and below

$ 150                                       $ 205                               20 cubic feet

$ 185                                       $ 250                               30 cubic feet

$ 210                                       $ 288                               40 cubic feet

above 40 cubic feet call for pricing / all rates plus 12% fuel surcharge

Reflects rate for transport only, wrapping, insurance,  storage  or other services are additional

HOW TO BOOK or get a quote

Use the CLICK FOR ESTIMATE tab above and fill out the form. Be sure to indicate your interest in the economy EXPRESS shuttle

OR  call our shuttle coordinator, Robert Thomas:

email:           robert@fineartship.com

direct line:  310 807 9587

SCHEDULE:

Our inaugural EXPRESS !!

Picks up greater Los Angeles through March 17

Delivers SF bay area March 19-20

Returns for LA deliveries week of March 23

EXPRESS ZONE maps

Once again this year FINE ART SHIPPING is pleased to be donating art delivery services for the yearly fundraising auction at the Laguna Art Museum. Proceeds from AUCTION 2009 go to further both exhibits and education programs at the museum. With California now officially dead last among states in funding of arts programs  – for shame! — it is more important than ever for actual real people to step in and support these institutions. Plus you just might come away with an amazing piece of art!

This year’s auction features, as the name implies, 100 works from 100 leading California artists. Here’s a link to the auction announcement. Or visit the museum’s website at www.lagunaartmuseum.org for details of all events and exhibitions.

Betsy Dorfman

FINE ART SHIPPING

As an unabashed admirer for decades of Calvin Trillin’s work, I recommend “Tepper Isn’t Going Out” to anyone who: has lived or may ever live in New York City, eats food,  has a sense of humor, especially when it comes to laughing at the foibles of bureaucrats and politicians, parks a car, thinks justice is served when the “little guy” triumphs over the powers that be, and enjoys a good turn of phrase, many per page. “Tepper” is a slight but sly read, with many of the astute observations about city life and characters going by in a happy blur. Picking up the book, first published in 2002,  recently, I was struck by the entertainment value found in pretty much any paragraph chosen and read at random. The book is also available on CD and as a download to your Ipod. This is a good way to go as Mr. Trillin is a stellar deadpan reader of his own words; he is the voice of Murray Tepper.

Described by the author as “the first parking novel”, the book recounts the story of Murray Tepper’s unlikely propulsion to fame as the result of his habit of sitting in his parked car, meter lawfully fed, and refusing to move. This raises the ire of many a would be parking spot seeker, and eventually milquetoast Murray’s “rebellion” reaches to the heights of the city government.  To a mayor who, if a satiric portrait of Rudy Guiliani, breaks new ground in the annals of civic fascism. It is a treat to see the mayor and his henchmen get their comeuppance, while the steadfast and dour Tepper insists he just wants to sit in his car and read the paper. Really.

Anyone who has played alternate side of the street roulette in New York, or searched for the zen of the “perfect spot “will appreciate Murray for his streetwise skills. You gotta know your stuff!  In his Chevy Malibu he strikes a blow for sense over nonsense, and eats some pretty good sandwiches, too. Well known for his food related books and columns in the New Yorker magazine, Mr. Trillin is a reliable guide to the sort of neighborhood eating establishments which bring tears to the eyes of foodies and comfort to the natives. It would not be a bad idea to follow Murray around and eats where he eats. As Trillin would say, the ultimate compliment, “I’ve had worse.”

This is a wonderful romp through pre 9-11 New York and should be read by anyone with an interest in the comic novel, for its structure alone. What seems in the beginning a slight conceit unlikely to support an entire novel in fact does so, and picks up speed, interesting characters and ideas, as it goes. There is enough wordplay for listeners of NPR to skip the puzzle master for weeks, much of it having to do with Murray’s occupation as a master compiler of mailing lists. That subplot and cast of characters alone is worth the price of admission.

In the end there is even a seminal question: was this rebellion possibly orchestrated by Murray all along, done intentionally? Or was he an innocent hero of events which happened to put him on the map? For those inclined to ponder the nature of celebrity, there is plenty here to presage the rise of reality TV and the media zeal for “real” people. Mr. Trillin is a nibbler, but he bites at some big apples.

Betsy Dorfman

FINE ART SHIPPING

Everyone by now is well aware of the gloomy economic conditions and climate worldwide. Customers in all types of businesses are looking to save money and fine art services providers such as ourselves are anxious to help. However when the goods being handled are often both fragile and irreplaceable, and have to be to a specific location on or by a given date, the opportunities for cost cutting are limited. But, they do exist.

Here are some suggestions that may help keep your shipments on budget:

SHIP IN MULTIPLES Shipping several rather than one artwork at a time to the same location, city, or even region is typically less expensive than shipping one. Most fine art shippers and shuttles have minimum rates. If you ship two artworks at separate times you will pay the minimum twice. If you ship two or more artworks together the added ones often travel at a significantly reduced rate. In the case of a few truly small works, all the extras may travel under the minimum, i.e. essentially free.

GROUP SHIPMENTS and consider INTERIM STORAGE As a corollary to the above advice re multiples, also  keep in mind that storage can be less expensive than shipping. So if you have two galleries say in Los Angeles that require your art for shows in January and April, it may well be less expensive to ship both shows to Los Angeles at the same time, and store the one of the inventories for several months. Many art storage facilities such as ours will discount storage or offer some weeks of free interim storage for works which they have shipped.

PLAN AHEAD Speed is costly, it is as simple as that. By planning ahead and having works ready to ship weeks in advance you can avoid expedited charges and take advantage of slower and less expensive transport options. Allowing for lead time and thus a  flexible schedule is a major cost advantage. If we can pick up your shipment sometime in the next ten days at our convenience, and when we are in the area, that will cost less than if we have to pick it up next Tuesday before noon i.e. via custom service.

PACK YOUR OWN ARTWORKS Many artists, institutions, and galleries have staff capable of packing to a professional standard. Having artworks prepacked will save both time and money. Most art shippers such as ourselves will happily work with you to advise re the required packing standard and assist as we can. An expert can also advise re maximum sizes for international shipments and assist with calculations as to how many crates or softpacks of what size offer the best volume profile for shipping . Too often novices will pack multiple works of wildly varying sizes into one large and heavy crate, which is then costly to ship.

STATE YOUR BUDGET or let us know that cost is an issue. It only wastes our time and yours if we prepare an estimate based on top of the line ingredients only to find out that this is beyond your means. If you have a competitive quote, share it. We can often tell you quickly whether we can do better or not. There is nothing more frustrating than spending time on an elaborate estimate only to have the customer receive it and say, “Well, I could rent a truck and drive it myself for $500, so you have answered my question.” 99% of the time we are not going to be able to beat the cost of you tossing it into a truck and driving it yourself! Letting us know you are on a budget helps us focus on suitable possible solutions right off the bat.

CONSULT AN EXPERT Basically, ask us for advice rather than tell us what you think you need. We often get requests which ask very specifically for a certain service i.e. to crate and airfreight a large painting from Los Angeles to New York. Our office will respond with an estimate that reflects that approach. In fact, it may be less expensive to softpack and ship the painting by an art shuttle or art consolidation. LA to NYC and back are highly traveled routes and shuttles offer competitive pricing. Or, sometimes, the reverse is true: for a small to medium size painting the cost to crate and ship via airfreight may be less than the shuttle. It is best to tell us what you need to ship and when it needs to be where, and then ask us to provide the most economical quote possible. In all cases, it goes without saying, the type of artwork and its condition will be taken into consideration. So when we say “budget” approach, it always means the most economical possible which is also deemed safe for the artwork in question.

GIVE ACCURATE INFORMATION including the dimensions, media, condition, and value of artworks to be shipped. Some customers worry that if they reveal the (high) value of an artwork, they will be charged higher fees. In a sense, this is true, as the level of crating, shipping, and security  recommended for a million dollar artwork is different than for a $5000 artwork. But it doesn’t help on either side if we quote for a budget service, then have to rescind this approach upon learning the true value of the artwork. Having accurate dimensions also means that our quote will be on target with no surprises down the line. A difference of a few inches more all around on artworks can result in increased costs for packing and shipping, and across larger inventories this can translate into significantly increased costs. No customer likes to get the “are you sitting down” call from their art handler, and no art handler likes to make it.

CONSIDERATIONS BEYOND BUDGET Unfortunately during economic downturns there are always “start up” or other “one guy and a truck” enterprises who offer low prices attractive to economy minded customers. In other cases providers may ship with freight services and tout this as an “art consolidation”, leaving the impression that it travels via a service similar to an art shuttle. You may save money and have a good experience with these services, or you may have a disaster.

Many of the “one guy and a truck” services aren’t properly insured and may not have worker’s compensation or liability insurance. Their truck may not be properly registered with the DOT or other state authority. Our best advice is to get completive quotes from reliable services, and be wary of the “oddball” low quote. Make sure estimates and shipping confirmations are in writing. If the company can’t or won’t offer you insurance on your shipment, this is a tip off that they may not have a fine arts all risk policy in place.

NEGOTIATE, within reason So,  yes there is such a thing as quality art shipping which is also economical, to some degree. Overall, however, it is simply the case that correctly handling and shipping fine art is an expensive service.  Companies doing it right have high fixed expenses for insurance, storage and packing facilities, highly trained personnel, and specialty truck expenses. These expenses persist in tough economic times, and often even increase. Realistically, there are only so many corners that can be cut before quality is compromised.

That said, most art shippers appreciate customer feedback on pricing and are willing to negotiate on price to some degree. Especially if you have an art handler you trust and prefer, give them the option to match or meet a lower quote and to explore the reasons for any disparity. It may be that the higher quote contained a level of service not needed, or, if needed, that the lower quote is not a true “comp.” The more transparent the elements of the transaction, the better. Art shippers do have some leeway in pricing and markups and most will gladly lower a quote by a modest amount to satisfy a repeat customer.

Betsy Dorfman

FINE ART SHIPPING