I get some variation of this phone call all too frequently:

 

ARTIST:   Hi, I have a crate I need to ship to London. I built it myself.

ME:           Okay, we can help with that. I will need the dimensions and weight.

ARTIST:   I got everything in one crate, if you can believe that. Eight by seven by about, oh the height has gotta be, I’m five eight so let’s say, six.

ME:          (Hopefully, but knowing better) Feet or inches?

ARTIST:  (Proudly) Feet. It’s in my garage. You’ll need a lift gate. Wait, you thought I was five inches tall?

ME:          What is the size of the largest work in the crate. These are paintings?

ARTIST:  There’s a couple of big ones, maybe four, then a whole bunch of medium and little ones that I stacked double high and double wide. Kind of up on a shelf thing on the inside. Sectioned. That way it could all go in one crate.  (Pause) Hello?

ME:      Sorry I’m just…is there any way you can cut this thing in half?

FADE OUT

 

Okay, some actual useful information:

 

HEIGHT

Many airlines have height cutoffs of 60-63″, depending upon the actual equipment flown. Above that height you will need to book on a freighter, which gives you fewer flights to choose from and is often more expensive. You typically need an advance booking on a freighter, and such freight can wait in line sometimes for days until space is available.  Sometimes you can’t avoid this, with a large installation piece or bronze, but where it can be avoided it should be.  

 

WEIGHT/HANDLING

Oversize crates cost more at every stage of shipping and handling, and if very heavy can be dangerous to move as well. They are more likely to be fork lifted rather than hand carried or dollied.

 

FREIGHT COST

With inventories of mixed sizes it is nearly always cost effective to fabricate multiple crates with contents grouped by size.  It is the overall volume that determines freight cost, and splitting into multiple crates often saves on final volume. 

 

ACCESS: THE END GAME

Also consider that the average doorway is only 30 or so inches wide. If your shipment is going to a corporate location, office building, or a downtown gallery your giganto crate may not fit through the doorway. Not every business has a dock or wide receiving doors. So now you’ve got some preparator unpacking the crate at the curb — not going to be your biggest fan once that is done.  And then what do they do with the crate? Have you seen the average gallery store room? 

 

DAMAGE ISSUES 

Most damage in shipping actually happens during packing and unpacking. Creating an oddly sectioned crate, which also has a high center of gravity, may not be simple to unpack. The recipient could open the wrong side or not perceive where all the works are located. We have seen examples where small works were sectioned off behind larger works, but where the separating foam or cardboard was mistaken for the wall of the crate.  Out goes the crate into the trash still holding the small works – ouch.   Always include a pack sheet detailing the crate contents, and unpacking instructions as well. Unfortunately many artist packed crates don’t have such instructions included.

 

 

 RETURN SHIPPING

If the destination can’t or won’t store your oversize crate, you may be asked to pay for storage at an offsite location or charged for a new crate to return unsold items. If you are lucky and they do store it, and, even luckier, they sell half of your artworks at the show, now you are going to have to ship that huge crate back half empty. Had you built 2 or 3 crates, chances are the returning volume could have been downsized into 1 of 2 of those.

 

 

Like most art handlers we are happy to give guidance to artists or others building crates. Call us BEFORE you build and we may be able to save you some money, or grief, or both.

 

 

 

Betsy Dorfman

 

 

Back in 1999 FINE ART SHIPPING had the pleasure of collaborating with sculptor Robert Graham to arrange shipment of a major work to Kansas City. Dubbed “the big head” by our staff, this was indeed a huge bronze sculpture of the head of jazz great Charlie “Bird” Parker, shipped for the opening of the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City. Here is a link to more information on the Charlie Parker Memorial.

The shipping was a major undertaking and Mr. Graham kept his cool even as the enormous sculpture was craned from a site near his Venice CA studio into a waiting semi trailer. Given the dimensions of the sculpture this fit into the truck by the proverbial whisker, and the tolerances did not allow for the sort of “bullet proof” crating we would like to have done. So there were a few anxious moments as “Bird” swung near the sides of the truck before settling in nicely for the trip to Kansas City.

During preparations for this move and subsequent smaller shipments for his studio we developed a sincere appreciation for the depth and variety of his work and the professionalism and courtesy of his staff. Our condolences to his friends and family from everyone at FINE ART SHIPPING.

Betsy Dorfman