Today we crated an antique object so dripping with inherent vice that I wanted to just give it a good shake and ship whatever remained in hand. It was a lacy assemblage of stressed wood with flaking paint and gold leaf, forming some kind of elaborate staff.

I thought that only wizards had these, and I must say; any wizard would be proud to lean ponderously on such a grand walking stick. I was disappointed to be informed that it was not, in all likelihood, the former property of any such character; not the least because it debunked my theory that it was the gradual (and sad) fading of magic that was causing the many unsecured parts to slowly lose their unlikely relative positions and settle into a more natural relationship with gravity.

I do admire a clever bit of woodworking, and in all fairness, it isn’t the staff’s fault that it was never meant to lie prone like a saucy odalisque; much less freighted that way. But long story short, this thing was screaming to be shipped upright – not only for the fragility of its overall construction and distribution of weight, but also for the specific joins used in assembling some of the wooden nuggets.

That some of the said nuggets were quite loose is an understatement. They were ready to leap away from the piece like rats riding the explosion of a sinking ship’s boiler room. But for a variety of reasons, shipping upright was no more an option than not shipping it at all; the latter being a suggestion I slipped anonymously under the general manager’s door this morning before tip-toeing away.

When that plan didn’t work, I was forced to ship the piece in a horizontal attitude. The point of all this is that sometimes you have to just do what you can to make sure the thing is as safe as possible within the tight budget. So here’s what we did:

A cavity pack was pointless, as we would have had to float so many little parts and still catch the more solid areas at all of the correct angels in a Swiss cheese version of (a negative image of) the piece. So vertical guillotines it would be. The staff’s lateral, vertical and axial movement was eliminated by guillotines along the shaft.

One more guillotine on the crown’s widest point took much of the crown’s weight, and also eliminated any possibility of spinning in place thanks to the hexagonal tier.

Tall, tapered bumpers reached up from below to take the weight of each successive tier in the crown.

Belts and straps of Tyvek held the loosest pieces in place while holding the tiers down against their bumpers.

Finally, a safety bumper of softer foam was placed ½” away from the tip of the staff, just in case several other axial stoppers failed.

I still wouldn’t drop this crate from the top of a tall thing, but I can strap it to  a unicorn and wave goodbye to it with confidence.

-Chris

Actually, they’re here. We’re branding these as ARTfids, our in house name for radio frequency identity tags which track the location of artworks in our care. You likely have experienced RFIDs in the guise of those pesky tags stores embed in clothing as a theft preventative.  Step out the door and through the “reader” and you trip an alarm.

Now this technology is making its way into the realm of fine art inventory systems and handling.  RFID technology is a huge improvement over bar coding as well as  visual only labeling systems.  Information from RFID tags can be scanned and uploaded directly into a computer to form an instant inventory. When pieces are deaccessioned from storage they are scanned out,  and scanned again coming off the truck at a delivery point using the handheld reader. Game, set and match.

The application for fine art is obvious: you want to know where high value items are at all times. New flat labels make this possible. RFID tags look like regular shipping labels and can be affixed to artworks quickly and simply.  Our proprietary system of ARTfids works with a handheld reader that is carried through our warehouses,  taken to job locations, and used on the trucks.   Inventories are read and verified in far less time than it takes to do manual counts, and with far greater accuracy.

And, how cool is this: unlike barcodes or human eyes,  RFID readers don’t require line of sight to the actual tag. The radio signal can be picked up from even inside closed containers. So, for example, the reader can report and verify the entire contents of a crate containing multiple pieces, without opening the crate. Walking through a loaded truck the reader can verify which items are on board, even if one is behind the other. Point it at a set of shelves where small items have been stored and it will tell you if one has been left on a high shelf out of sight.

RFID technology has obvious applications for institutions, collectors, and homeowners wanting peace of mind as to the location of their valuables. We’ll have a follow up post on a major Los Angeles art theft that might have been prevented had an RFID detection system been in place.

In our setting, i.e. the professional fine arts and antiques storage facility, the upgrade to RFID has been a major improvement. We’re very excited about this technology and invite questions from customers and the general public on this grand new tool for inventory and tracking of fine art.

We’ll also show you some photos of the tags and the system in use in later posts.

Betsy Dorfman

At FINE ART SHIPPING we specify in our estimates how a shipment will be transported, whether by air freight, ocean freight, van lines or other subcontracted trucking service, art shuttle, or exclusive use truck. The type of handing, equipment used, packing standard, security standard, and transit time is different for each of these modes of transport. In some cases the insurer of record may also have criteria that must be met in terms of security or handling. The more a customer understands the terminology the better so that there is a clear understanding of what service is being purchased and performed.

So, what is an ART SHUTTLE and why and when do I want to use one?

COMMODITIES :

Art shuttles are trucks specializing in handling artworks and sometimes antiques. They typically do not ship other commodities, general freight, or household goods. They are staffed by trained art handlers capable of packing and unpacking artworks and handling them appropriately at stops and within the truck. They are essential for transport of very high value and fragile works and are typically full service including the ability to pack, unpack, install, and insure artworks of all descriptions.

EQUIPMENT:

The art shuttle can be a tractor trailer sized truck operating nationwide or a smaller truck making more local or regional stops. Most art handling trucks are museum quality which means they have dual drivers, are climate controlled, and have air ride suspensions. Some art shuttles are not climatized or have only a single driver and in most cases the carrier will note this in their paperwork. Most art shuttle trucks also have logistics systems to assist with tying in and stabilizing packed works in the truck.

PACKING STANDARD:

Art shuttles are suitable for transport of softpacked or crated works. Most will have minimum packing standards and can upgrade packing to their standard or provide packing as needed. “Blanket wrapped” is really a furniture term and does not apply to art shuttles except in unusual circumstances. Art shuttles can be trusted to observe orientation (this way up, or ride flat) markings and will keep artworks properly oriented in transit.

ROUTES and SCHEDULING:

Most art shuttles operate on a route that is pre-scheduled between cities so that institutions and frequent shippers can plan ahead. The time in transit varies based on each shipment’s origin and delivery point. But as a rule of thumb most art shuttles take a week to two weeks to complete a route. This is therefore not a service that is going to work when items need to be moved in just a couple of days. Within their appointed schedules, also, timing may change by a day or so and customers need to have some flexibility in their receiving or releasing schedules. Most shuttles reserve the right to charge an additional fee for “first off” or “last on” or other custom timing requests.

HANDLING:

Many times customers assume that an “art shuttle” will not cross dock or handle a work more than twice: once when it is loaded and the second time when it is delivered. Well, maybe, but don’t count on it. An art shuttle is a consolidated service with items belonging to many customers commingled in the truck. As the truck makes its stops artworks are offloaded and others onloaded and space must be made accordingly. So it is likely that your shipment will be moved around, perhaps several times. Some carriers will cross dock as well which means transfer items from one truck to another at a regional hub. Art shuttles do an excellent job at this and problems are few. However if you have a shipment that can’t be handled several times or where the packing is insufficient for this, an exclusive use truck might be a safer choice.

INSURANCE:

Art shuttles can provide insurance in transit in most cases. Some have restrictions for items packed by the shipper. Insurance ,or declared valuation coverage as it is properly known, must be in place before the artwork is moved or handled. The value of the item or items must be stipulated and the coverage at the stated value will be noted on the related bill of lading. There is no “automatic” insurance except for what is essentially salvage value in some states.

SECURITY:

Most art shuttle trucks are equipped with GPS tracking devices and the trucks themselves have custom locking and other security measures installed as a part of their equipment. Many run “dual driver” trucks which means that the truck is staffed with two people, and in some cases the crew sleeps on board during cross country or longer routes. When in doubt, and if your insurer has specific requirements for coverage, the carrier involved can supply further details of their security arrangements. For ultra high value items an exclusive use truck with a courier on board, or with a security detail in accompanying vehicles, may be elected by the customer or insurer.

COST:

An art shuttle is a costly service due to the custom nature of the equipment and personnel involved. Operating costs are high and shuttles cannot cut corners without jeopardizing their reputation and the safety of the goods entrusted to their care. There is no such thing as a “discount” art shuttle. You wouldn’t want one if there were! Most shuttles charge a minimum and thereafter provide custom quotes based on the dimensions and number of the works to be transported, the locations to be served, and the precise services requested. Costs range from several hundred into the many thousands of dollars.

In figuring costs, mileage is not the most critical factor. Generally costs are most competitive between large markets. For example, it can be relatively affordable to ship a single painting from Los Angeles to New York. That same painting shipped far fewer miles from Los Angeles to a rural location in far northern California however would be considerably more expensive.

OVERVIEW:

So you want a fine art shuttle when you have a valuable or fragile artwork to ship, or one that must be climate controlled or kept in a specific orientation, or where packing, unpacking, installation or insurance is required enroute. A van line, moving company, or general trucker is not going to have trained personnel qualified to properly handle artworks and perform those related services. Art shuttles exist specifically to service this market for custom handling and transport of delicate goods.

WHEN IS AN ART SHUTTLE NOT AN ART SHUTTLE?

For purposes of comparing estimates between companies, always ask the type of service and specifically whether the quote is via art shuttle or some other type of trucking service. Most art shippers, including ourselves, will send shipments subcontracted to van lines or freight carriers as part of our normal constellation of services. There is nothing wrong with this so long as the customer understands the nature of the service and the packages and artworks themselves are suited to the chosen type of trucking and handling.

The term “art shuttle” does have a specific meaning, and it does not mean freight truck, air freight, common carrier, or van line trucking. Look for the terms “climate controlled”, “museum quality” and “air ride trucking” to be sure you are getting a true shuttle where this is needed. If an art services company won’t reveal the actual carrier or define the service in those terms then it is time to try another company who will.

Betsy Dorfman / Fine Art Shipping