Toolkit: Taking Care of Artworks – An Introduction to Handling and Packaging

Artist Simon Bloor led an introductory session on how to get artworks safely from the studio to the gallery and beyond.

As well as having experience of art handling as an artist, Simon also works as a gallery technician and shared his knowledge in both sides of the transaction.

For the packing and dispatch part of the evening, Simon introduced the tools, materials and techniques you can use to help to keep work free from damage while it’s being transported. We also heard about how to use proper labelling and instructions to make sure work is treated correctly when it’s unpacked.

For the receiving artworks section, we looked at how to unpack and handle artworks safely and carefully. Simon explained what condition checking is and when you need to do it, and what to do if a work has been damaged in transit.

How to take care of artworks is must have knowledge for artists, curators and gallery workers.