Only once before have I had to ship large works of art to a gallery too far away for me to deliver by hand. This was at the end of 2007 for a group show in Los Angeles. I didn’t really know what I was doing and despite my best efforts both pieces, unframed metal prints that were 24″ x 24″, were damaged in transit. Despite a few dents they still made it into the show, thanks to quick repairs by the gallery owners.

The experience made me nervous about any future participation in shows outside of Vancouver but my desire to build a well-rounded art CV outweighs my fear of damaged art.

In my preparations for an upcoming group show in San Francisco (which I will blog about in more detail closer to the opening), I decided to go all out and have a proper shipping crate made for the framed print I needed to send. Kirsti had come across the work of Vevex and really liked the look of their shipping crates. I decided to give them a try myself, gulping a bit about what it might cost me.

They were able to give me a quote by email based on the measurements of my work, and even sent me back a detailed spec sheet I could use to figure out shipping costs. The crate took two days to build, which was much quicker than I’d expected, and was delivered right to my door at an additional cost ($12). (This was awesome for me because I don’t have a car.) I was really impressed with the quality of the crate and almost felt it was a shame to send it off. The whole thing cost me $70. I consider it an investment in future shipping needs for my artistic career.

The crate comes lined with ¾” polystyrene foam and allows some room for additional wrapping. A large plastic bag for wrapping is an additional $3.00, and bubble wrap is an additional $1.50.

The crate is certified for worldwide shipment and comes with a collection of ‘fragile’, ‘glass’ and ‘this side up’ labels.

It is really beautifully made. I kind of want more of them… 🙂

Vevex.com
(604) 254-1002, fax 1-866-883-3899, or send an email to: info@vevex.com