Art Talk

An Exhibition in The Netherlands

by Cathy Groulx, OSA

In 2009 I curated and participated in an Exhibition that went to The Netherlands to represent Canada! A new challenge and a new adventure into the how and what to do of shipping internationally! Well folks, here is the' how' of my journey- and the story that led up to the show.

Some years ago I was invited to bring a dog I had bred to Holland to exhibit at The World Show. I visited with friends who lived there and we exhibited at the show. Although another visit to The Netherlands would have been nice, it just never seemed to be in the offering.

Many years went by, no more dogs, but the idea simmered. I was painting professionally by this time, and asked her to watch for a Gallery where I might be able to exhibit.

One day my Dutch friend wrote to me that she had attended an art opening at a Gallery and had spoken to the owner about the idea of a Canadian artist friend of hers exhibiting there. He said he would look at a proposal- and the journey began.

I had been building my exhibition experience, having had twenty-three solo exhibitions and had participated in over one hundred and seventy (170) group shows. I was still thinking about the idea of exhibiting abroad. I had sent a painting to a juried show in France a few years before and had work in a Gallery in Denmark, and was aware of the high costs associated with shipping art work abroad.

I had already researched the Gallery situation in The Netherlands on the web, and was not successful in finding what I needed. This then was an exciting prospect!

The submission package included a dozen or so images on CD, an image list, CV (resume) and artists Bio/statement. I included a covering letter of introduction. This is the same thing that I include when making a submission to any Gallery here in Canada.

Not long after that I received a letter of confirmation, along with an invitation to curate the show and bring along work of five other artists. The Gallery was large and could take a lot of paintings. The show would be advertised as a 'Canadian' show. This pleased me no end, but now who would I invite to be a part of this show? Their quality would have to be good, as this would reflect back on me and my Country!

I had been fortunate to have exhibited at The McMichael Art Gallery in Keinburg Ontario- a prestigious juried exhibition /sale, where I met a number of really great artists. I did select most of my artists from this roster. A sculptor later joined our group.

I decided that our overseas show would have to be of work on canvas. This helped narrow down the selection of artists from which I chose.

Shipping framed art that is behind glass is risky. First of all there is the danger of breakage- extra weight with the glass element, and Customs Officials were known to occasionally take framed paintings apart to inspect them to see what may be hidden in the layers of mats and paper. This actually happened to someone I met. I definitely did not want a problem with Customs. Taking on the curatorial aspect of a show gave me extra responsibility, and I wanted to do it right.

I met a gal who worked for Canada Customs at an art event. She made me aware of the Carnet process of getting the art through Customs easily .I got the forms for the 'Carnet' from my local Chamber of Commerce. The gal there was really helpful. We had a lot of questions. It was very time consuming learning all of the information that I would ultimately need to collect from all of the artists. Thank goodness for e-mails. I spent hours going back and forth between the Gallery and the artists.

I had to get a separate list of each artists work, the declared value for each piece, a photo of each piece, measurements of the pieces and individual weights. A list had to be made for each artist. We also had to declare where the work would be going and when it would be returning, and what countries it would be going through and if more than one location would host the exhibit.

A Carnet eliminated the prepaying of the tax for the Gallery. Usually they would have to pay tax upfront, on the declared value of each piece -as if all the paintings had been sold. This was ridiculous, and I was happy to find a way to eliminate this cost for the Gallery owners. There were sixty-nine pieces in the show, and it would have been a huge expense.

I am a strong believer that there is no such thing as a coincidence. At the McMichael show I met a shipper, who was experienced in shipping pieces of art overseas. I checked into costs from several shippers, but subsequently did hire him for the job. I was so happy to have met him and had him there to speak to several of the artists who were at the show. He was able to give us a lot of information first hand, answered a number of questions, and made us feel comfortable with the decision to hire him.

All the artists made individual arrangements to take/ship their work to the shipper's location. The company built the crates to custom fit the actual amount of work that we were sending. We sent the work air freight. It was faster going overseas on a plane, but also easier to get the work to the Gallery once it arrived at the airport. Apparently a crate from a ship can sit on the dock for weeks, and we had deadlines to meet. I understand that the shipment arrived on time and was easily claimed by the Gallery.

Three of the exhibiting artists attended the official opening, including myself. The representative from the Cultural Dept. of the Government attended the official opening and made it very special.

The paintings remained in The Netherlands for several months, and are just now on their way home. They were sent back by ship, so I am waiting to see what procedure I will have to follow to clear customs at this end. The copy of the Carnet should be attached. This return document has to note that the taxes were paid on all the paintings and sculpture that sold.

Providing that form is in order, a Broker is supposed to clear the crates for Customs. I am hiring the shipper that I used to send the work over, to bring the work back from The Toronto port when it docks, to go to his office, where we will then collect our respective art work.

Shipping of art is a challenge .The main thing to keep in mind is to follow the proper paper trail, to minimize problems at both ends.

Cathy Groulx

Cathy has been an ArtFolio member since 2008. To view her portfolio please CLICK HERE