Shipping Work

I have spoken a little bit about shipping work in my post about Showing Elsewhere but I haven't really focused on the topic before. The main thing that I dislike about showing nationally is shipping work. It is difficult to relinquish control of your artwork to someone whom you know is not likely to treat it as respectfully in handling it as you otherwise would. It is also trying when you are tracking a package to have it show up at a gallery during off hours when it cannot be received, or to have it show up late.

A lot of galleries are very specific about which shippers they are willing to work with. And many will not return works unless a prepaid return label was included with the package or an account number posted to the package that can be charged for its return. Unfortunately, many of these return labels do expire and may or may not be honored after the show ends when your work is due to be shipped back, especially if the show lasts for longer than one month. So make certain that you follow the gallery's instructions, ask questions beforehand if you have them, and that you know your shipper's policies regarding return shipping.

Packing work for transit can be trying. I have seen so many artists come up with so many creative solutions to this. As a general rule, one should never ship with Styrofoam packing peanuts since many galleries will outright refuse them. Make sure that there are no stray labels or marks on the box that could be misinterpreted as a shipping address. (I like to turn boxes inside out so that they are plain.) When shipping fragile works, it is best if they are crated so that their boxes cannot be damaged. Another good solution is to pack your work in one box and then pack that box in another box with several inches of padding (no Styrofoam packing peanuts) between the two boxes.

You can also avoid damage by presenting your work in a manner that is less likely to incur it. Instead of framing with glass, use Plexi and wrap it carefully - it is less likely to shatter in transit. (Many galleries will not accept pieces that have been framed under glass because those works are likely to break.) Essentially, I have several pieces that I will gladly ship, some of which I have designed to maximize their portability. I also have other pieces that I will not ship because I know that they would sustain damage; they are just too fragile. So consider this when submitting works that you simply cannot drop off in person.

Shipping can be expensive, so be sure to factor that into the value of your piece. Is it even worth doing? That is up to you to decide - whether the show is likely to be lucrative or good exposure and whether that work represents you well enough to bother shipping it is entirely up to you. But make sure you determine whether or not you are willing to ship your work to participate in a show before you submit it to the show, otherwise you may be torn about whether or not you should participate (and uphold your end of the bargain with the gallery) after being accepted.

I know these pointers might not be all that useful or offer any new knowledge, but I hope that they can prove somewhat helpful. If you have any other insights, please feel free to post them as comments to this post. Willingness to ship one's work increases showing possibilities and exposure immensely. It can be scary to do at first and you might want to test the waters a bit with Mail Art Shows, to increase your willingness to let others handle your work in transit. The more you ship your work, the better you'll understand the process of packing it to ship, the costs involved and the risks taken; so you will become more comfortable with that process.