Art Tip Tuesday: Cost of Shipping & Insuring Fine Art

Three costs that will affect the price of shipping fine art

by Brittany Goodwin

Moving fine art is a delicate process, and one that needs to go perfectly — both for peace of mind and for the sake of the work itself. 

There are several reputable companies offering fine art shipping in New York City, but not all will disclose fees to the casual shopper. 

There are three main costs that will affect the total price of transporting fine art: crating, shipping fees and insurance. And depending on the piece, any of these could be the largest source of cost.

For example, a highly valuable but small piece of art will have high insurance costs but low crating and shipping charges. A large heavy piece like a statue or installation will have higher crating charges and much higher shipping costs. 

But in all cases, the total cost of properly transporting the artwork will be small compared to its value. 

Crating Fine Art

Fine art should be shipped in a special crate designed for this purpose. It should never be shipped in a regular box, even with padding, nor should it be shipped in a crate that is too large. The crate should match the size of the piece.

Related Story: The Artistry of Moving Art

For standard size paintings and small statues, pre-made crates are available. The price varies and ranges from $150 to $260. For larger or oddly sized pieces, a custom crate will need to be built, which an art mover can build upon request. 

Shipping Costs

Once the art is crated the piece can be shipped through a commercial carrier, including the U.S. Post Office, UPS and FedEx. Another option is to hire a transportation service that specializes in moving unique items. 

Hiring a fine art shipping service means professionals will manage artwork at all stages of the move. Costs can be in the low hundreds for a standard oil painting or the mid to high hundreds for a larger piece. For very large or heavy pieces, costs may run up to $10,000 but this is rare. When shipping within the United States, most art fees are well under $1,000.

Insuring Fine Art Shipment

Insurance is a must for all fine art moving. With the U.S. Post Office or UPS, expect to pay insurance on top of the shipping charge. 

With a professional mover, typical insurance is included in the shipping costs. Expect insurance to run approximately 1% of the total value of the piece. 

The best way to get a more precise estimate is to speak directly to a fine art shipper. Note that exact prices will depend on the piece.

Brittany Goodwin

Brittany Goodwin is a digital marketing professional and freelance writer in the Greater Philadelphia area. She enjoys traveling and loves learning new things. Goodwin earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Rutgers University.

Keep up with Goodwin on LinkedIn
Follow her on Twitter @go0dwinbrittany
And Instagram @goodwinbrittany  

The Artistry of Moving Art

3 Methods Professionals Use to Transport Fine Art

by Brittany Goodwin

Whether you're an artist or an art collector, we can all agree that original works of art are irreplaceable and invaluable. Art is extremely precious, whether it is an oil painting, a marble sculpture, or some other creative masterpiece, which makes it important to properly and safely transport it from place to place. And when you live in big artsy cities like Berlin, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, or Paris, transporting fine works of art can be chaotic and worrisome because there is no easy way to move them without the risk of damage.

Artists and art curators can all relate to the struggles and frustrations of the delicate process of transporting art. So what can you do if you need to safely move a piece of fine art through a city where unexpected mishaps and accidents can happen? Hire a professional fine art mover! 

The following are three techniques that professional fine art movers use to safely and securely transport works of art.

Custom Built Crates

If you've crafted a piece of art that is more than a painting, you will get a peace-of-mind with a custom built crate, which can house any masterpiece. Custom built crates make it possible to move anything from large sculptures to delicate vintage musical instruments. Trusting the fine art movers to house your work in custom built crates is a sure fire way to get your piece to the next exhibition safely. 

Hoisting and Rigging

As you can imagine, there are major difficulties of getting a large work of art on a platform or a rooftop. To the average eye, the task may look impossible. However, all you need is the right type of manpower and the equipment to get that piece of work into position. Professional fine art movers have access to cranes and hoisting equipment to safely lift and place large works in their next exhibition hall. 

Handle With Care

Professional art movers will take care of your work with delicacy to ensure it will arrive to its next destination intact. Whether it is a framed painting or in a storage tube, you can rely on the professionals to safely handle it as if it were part of their own personal collection. 

With the above points, it is safe to say that you can let the professionals transport and move your art because no artist or art curator would want to risk damaging fine art by trying to move it themselves. Whether you are putting your art up for a public display or you're simply moving to a new location and need to take your work with you, be sure to get help from the professionals.

Brittany Goodwin

Brittany Goodwin is a digital marketing professional and freelance writer in the Greater Philadelphia area. She enjoys traveling and loves learning new things. Goodwin earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Rutgers University.

Keep up with Goodwin on LinkedIn
Follow her on Twitter @go0dwinbrittany
And Instagram @goodwinbrittany  

2014 Top 10 Blog Posts for Arts of Cultures

It’s been quite a year for Arts of Cultures. 

The blog started out with stories about emerging artists in the multicultural art scene, with the likes of Maeva Fouche and Miki Turner. 

It then branched out and gave tips on how to build your art career. Whether you’re a painter, author, singer or a member of any part of the creative world, there was a tip just for you when Art Tip Tuesdays were posted. 

And as issues in American culture started to become the main topic of conversation on social media, digital news and everyday chit chat, Arts of Cultures peeled back the layers and shed light on controversial discussions. From Shonda Rimes being called an Angry Black Woman to ongoing talks of how social injustice continues to be a problem in America when it comes to people of color and the human race.

Building Your Art Career Pt. 5

I get it. You need to lock yourself away and create series of work for that next exhibition. Just be careful not to become a hermit in the process. It’s still important that you come up for a breather every once in a while.

Art Tip Tuesday: Summer Reading

Summer is in full swing and it’s the perfect time to catch up on some reading.

Is there a technique you wanted to brush up on or experiment with on your next painting, sculpture or sketch project? Well, I suggest taking a stroll through your local bookstore, if there are any more around in your immediate area, and head to the ‘Art Technique’ section. You’d be surprised how many art books, magazines, and courses you can flip through.

Building Your Art Career Pt.4

Set your goals

Whenever you set out to do anything it's ideal to have a list of goals in place. This holds true for your art career and it doesn't matter if you are a painters, writer, sculptor, actor, filmmaker, producer or a singer...you all should have short and long-term goals to strive for.

With the help of curator and artist Rhonda Schaller's post from her blog archives, I've pulled together this week's Art Tip Tuesday.

Art Tip Tuesday: Do You Have a Card?

Stemming off of last week's tip of the importance of having an online presence (see: Artists, Where Are Your Websites?) I thought it would now be ideal to stress how important it is to have your own personal business cards on hand.

You'd be surprised how many talented multicultural artists I've talked to who did not have a business card. I can understand when an artist run out of cards but it baffles my mind when they say they never had them. It shows me that they may not be ready to take their art career to that next level. The level of professionalism.

Art Tip Tuesday: Artists, Where Are Your Websites?

To change things up a bit, I’m stepping away from Rhonda Schaller’s tips for a brief moment. Don’t worry; I have at least seven more of the curator’s tips to share with you in upcoming posts.

As I stroll through art shows, street fairs and art galleries, the main question I hear from art aficionados is, ‘Do you have a website?’ Too many times I hear artists respond with, ‘Oh, I’m working on it. It’s coming.’ But nothing ever comes.

This week I wanted to emphasize the importance of your online presence. It’s one of the key things that will get you into the doors of exhibitions at a museum or an art gallery.

Building Your Art Career Pt. 3

Get Back to Class

It’s another installment of Art Tip Tuesday. As I mentioned in the first post of Art Tip Tuesday, I found an abundance of information from artist and curator, Rhonda Schaller, which I figured I share with you.

This week’s tip: Take a business course for artists. As told by Rhonda Schaller. (This post has been edited for clarity.)

Art Tip Tuesday: Building Your Art Career Pt. 2

Get your work online and in artist registries

Recently I introduced Art Tip Tuesday. After observing the multicultural art world for the last three months, I've noticed that multicultural artists are still under represented. Your works are not being shown side by side the European and white American artists in reputable art galleries. There isn’t a big secret to getting recognized as an established artist it just takes the right tools, the drive, and a little push in the right direction.

As I mentioned in the first post of Art Tip Tuesday, I found a plethora of information from artist and curator, Rhonda Schaller.   

Art Tip Tuesday: Building Your Art Career Pt. 1

Build a supportive network

It’s been three months since I started educating myself on the art world. The one thing that I’ve noticed is that some multicultural artists are still struggling to get their art work through the doors of art galleries. To tackle the issue at hand, I’ve interviewed artists, attended art shows, panel discussions, and I spend my free time researching, which goes a long way.