art installation, transportation

[iowasculptor]

I am just trying to gather some info on how those of you doing large scale work transport and install your work. I have been talking with a guy that is in the industrial field who is the go to guy for many projects and have talked about the similar problems that artists face in transporting and installing their work. He is interested in possibly adding art to the things that his company handles. He has a structural engineer on staff and all of the contacts to make large scale work transportation and installation possible. Do you know of anyone else who does this? How do the big sculpture companies handle it. Any info would be much appreciated.
thanks
Matt

[G. Murdoch]

Matt,

All of the heavier stone sculptures I have carved have needed to be moved from carving site to final placement. I simply work the phone to find a crane & rigging company with a big enough piece of iron to do the job. It is critical to have an acurate estimate of the mass of the sculpture, as the mass that any given crane can safely handle drops dramatically as soon as the mass moves outside of the outriggers. It often helps to have someone from the crane company look at the sculpture where it is made, and at the installation site, so you can discuss access & reach for the equipment. Make these decisions in advance so you don't have to have lengthy debates at $500/hour. Also, even though it annoys some drivers, I insist on doing my own swamping & rigging, as I understand better than anyone they send out where the structural strengths & weaknesses, axis of balance, etc.. are on my sculptures.

Good luck.

Graham

[EJB]

Nothing is impossible with enough time or money. If you lack either, the trick is matching the right size installation outfit to your project. There are a number of larger companies that will move anything, and I mean ANYTHING, assumming you have enough $$$$. On the other hand I have also seen some big chunks of stone dragged into placed by a couple of skinny girls (more time than money).
For your research purposes you might want to investigate METHODS AND MATERIALS based in Chicago. They are a high end art installation service that do large projects. Many of the big fabricators around the country have installation crews that are 'art sensitive' but be prepared to pay premium. Industrial movers like the one you mentioned are great resources for handling art since they tend to be well equipped and often have engineering services available. The down side is that it is sometimes difficult to acheive a good level of communication between artist and engineer. A knowlegeable and reliable project coordinator is a vital element whether it comes from their company or your studio.
For anybody looking to move a big sculpture, often the best place to start is with the local crane service. These guys typically handle everything from boulders to jet engines. They will also have or know about trucking services.

[EJB]

One more thing......If your projects don't require a crane or are not crane accessable, MACHINERY MOVERS tend to be good, especially with metal sculptures. Larger landscaping companies commonly move trees and boulders and are used to dealing with outdoor situations.

[JAZ]

I lucked out recently with the transport of a sculpture of mine that's in the Polk Museum of Art's 2006 Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition. One of the other artists - Rob Lorenson - brought mine, his and two other artist's works from New England to Florida on his truck. We all pitched in so everyone is happy and who better to handle the pieces than a good sculptor used to moving his own?
And when I was coordinating the Somerby's Landing mini sculpture park in Newburyport I used a crane guy whose name was given to me by Toni Schultze, a woman who does large scale stone sculpture. There are people out there who handle art for shows all the time. They are beautiful to watch in action.
JAZ

[Ries]

I agree about Methods and Materials- I have known Roger since 1989, and he definitely knows his stuff.
Helicopters, cranes, barges- you name it, he has done it.

But for smaller scale stuff, or smaller budgets, there are cheaper ways to go.
I am lucky enough to have my own forklift, so loading at my end, up to 2 tons or so, is easy enough.
But I also have an ongoing relationship with a local guy who runs a mobile crane.
He has a 10 ton crane on a 20 foot flatbed, and then can also tow a 30 foot trailer.
He runs about $120 an hour these days, with a two hour minimum call- this is a deal, but there are often guys like that out there.
Big crane companies are often double the price, with 4 hour minimum calls, so when I am too far away to use him, I figure a crane will run about $800 for a lift.

I use freight brokers to find shipping. There are quite a few out there, if you want specific names, email me- but essentially, I call with dates, size and weight, and the broker arranges for an independant trucker to arrive with the type of truck I want. I usually go with flatbeds, or covered wagons- a flat bed with a rolling tube frame tarp cover, so it can be loaded like a flat bed, then covered from the elements.

Then I fly to the install location, meet the trucker, and hire a crane or rent a forklift locally to unload.
This way, you put it on the truck, you take it off the truck. You supervise the tiedown, and nobody else handles your work, as it would with a big common carrier like Yellow Freight.

Truck freight, even with high gas prices, is amazingly cheap. I recently sent some work to california from Washington- about 1500 miles, 10,000 to 12,000 lbs, 24 feet of flatbed trailer, and it cost me $1300. I thought that was a pretty fair price.
Add to that forklift rental at the site- this can run from $150 to $250 a day, less for longer times, price goes down by the week. But even if you pay for delivery and pickup, and only use the forklift for an hour, its $300 well spent.

For bigger pieces, I hire a local crane company, which has always been effortless and professional, no matter where it was- just expensive- for 10 to 15 ton cranes, as I said above, figure $800 to $1000 for a days work most places.

You have to factor these costs into your budget from the get go.
Paying pros to lift and move your work is money saved in the long run- no way can you rent a truck, and pay for meals and gas and hotels, and come in for the same price as a pro.
And moving heavy stuff- well thats one place not to try to skimp.

As far as site installation goes, paying somebody who is actually competent, like Roger at Methods and Materials, is pretty expensive.
I always do my own. I try to design work for the simplest install.
I try to get somebody else to do any needed concrete or footings in advance- on public jobs, usually I try to get the contractor to do it. Hopefully not out of my budget.
But sometimes I have hired local concrete companies to go in and put in a footing for me.

I usually design pieces to be rotohammered down with anchor bolts- this way no confusing errors in bolt spacing.
If an imbed is required, I make the imbed, and ship it to them in advance.
I have had pieces where I fly in with my rotohammer and tool box as luggage, rent a minivan at the airport, rent a small honda generator at a local tool rental place, and pop the holes and bolt down the piece myself. This often takes just an hour or two. I once installed 4 large pieces, including unloading the semi with a crane, and bolting down, and was done by lunchtime.
If a lot of manual labor is involved, I usually take my own guys from home- I find local day labor leaves a lot to be desired. Although a few times I have managed to find local sculpture students from colleges that were decent site helpers.

[iowasculptor]

I am working with a company right now out of the midwest, the guy that owns it is what we call the guy with the rolladex. He has contacts with anything and everything that you need to move and install virtually any type of sculpture. He is just learning about the exciting world of installing art and is looking for contacts in the art world, I am his link. If anyone needs help moving or installing work he can get it done. He has been in the industrial overhead hoist business so he knows how to get big things into tight spaces and high up spaces. If anyone is interested in getting in touch with him just let me know.
Matt