Packing, shipping and transportation of museum collections is an important part of museum work, but it is also the most common time when incidences of damage occur.
Our insurance brokers have provided some recommendations to us about preparing objects for transit, in particular relating to staff members serving as courier and transporting objects in staff members’ own vehicles. The way that objects are transported impacts the safety of the piece. Improper packing or handling, resulting in damage, may risk our ability to file an insurance claim. For this reason, it’s best to take extra care when packing, shipping and couriering objects coming into or out of your Site.
Condition Reports
It’s helpful to have photos and condition reports as a benchmark, as part of the history of the object, and most importantly, to use as reference in case any damage happens to any of the pieces in transit.
Before shipping or couriering collections, take digital photographs of each piece, or, photos of a group of items altogether, so that you have photographic record of everything before it’s on the move.
Time-permitting, it’s also a good idea to do a brief condition check or condition report on each piece prior to or as you are packing them. There is a condition report form on our website here: http://historicsites.wordpress.com/collections/condition-reporting/
Packing
- Before handling do a quick visual check of the piece to identify visible cracks or other potential vulnerable places.
- Whenever possible, pick up and hold objects at the base. Avoid picking up pieces by handles, edges, or rims, because these areas are the most fragile (and also most prone to having old breaks). Anytime a piece is awkward to handle on your own, enlist the aid of a partner to assist. When moving large or heavy pieces, or when moving anything over a longer distance, utilize props such as carts, dollies, A-frames, etc.
- Remove any loose parts, such as lids, before handling, so that they do not get jostled or fall off during transit.
- Smaller (tabletop) objects: Before you start packing, it’s a good idea to pad the surface of your work area to minimize the risk of damaging the piece(s) while working. It is ideal to lay down a packing blanket on top of a table, covered by a clean sheet or other top layer on top of the packing blanket. It’s best to use light colored fabric so that you can easily see if any flakes, chips, or any other pieces dislodge as a result of the handling/packing.
- When wrapping individual objects: Start with a neutral, inert base layer such as plain uncolored tissue. Then follow with a layer of foam, bubble wrap, and/ or cotton batting (if you have it). When using bubble wrap, the bubble wrap should not be in direct physical contact to the object, and wrap with the bubbles facing out/away from the surface, because bubble wrap can get tacky and adhere to certain types of surfaces over time, especially if the piece is stored in an environment with temperature or humidity fluctuations.
- Secure packing materials with fabric twill tape, or small pieces of tape, but don’t tape heavily—as you might when wrapping a present—because there is risk of damaging the piece while you’re trying to get it out of the packing materials, if it was packed too securely/too tightly.
- When packing multiple pieces in a box: stack objects that are like in size, i.e. the same size dinner plates. Limit stacking to 5 or so pieces high, but no higher than the top of the box. Insert layers of padding between stacked pieces. Once the objects are in the box, fill empty spaces with soft-pack materials (foam, tissue, or batting) and line the side of the boxes with a bit of padding for cushion.
Couriering and transporting pieces in your own vehicle
- When loading your car, work with a partner whenever possible. Even with lightweight boxes, it’s good to work with someone else to make sure that the boxes can be raised and lowered as gently as possible.
- Place boxes side by side in the car. Avoid stacking. If items must be stacked (such as a group of framed prints), please ensure that each object is wrapped individually, and place padding between each artwork.
- Travel with 2 people whenever possible. That way, if stops need to be made, such as to go to the bathroom or to get something to eat, someone can stay with the car (and with the objects) at all times.
- Drive as directly as possible between the two locations (especially if there is just one person in the car). Loading the car should be the last thing you do before leaving; and come as directly as possible to the Site with few or no stops. The idea is to minimize as much as possible the opportunities for anything to happen to the collections.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation maintains a limited amount of insurance coverage for objects in transit; to insure appropriate insurance coverage is in place, please contact our insurance brokers.
Fine-arts shippers
There are many companies that provide packing and shipping services for museum collections. Any of the companies listed below can offer a range of packing and transportation options, depending on budget and timeframe, and would be happy to provide a quote for services.
- Artemis
- Artex
- Bonsai
- Ely
- Terry Dowd
- USArt
- SurroundArt
