The Art of Moving Massive Art: Inside Artifact Logistics
Giant sculptural art is a wonder to be seen. Depending on the piece, you can walk around it and interact with it. As viewers, we tend to pick apart the meaning behind the art we’re looking at or we think about how it was constructed. But… how did it get there? From concept to placement there’s a ton that goes into making big art happen. As an artist, creating art is just the first step in a multi-step process, and transporting a large piece of art can often be a barrier that feels too massive to surpass. One local company, Artifact Logistics, gave me an inside look into the specialized world of getting big art transported and installed for the viewer to enjoy.
Artifact Logistics ensures that massive (and yet somehow still delicate) artwork is moved to its location anywhere without any missing parts, bumps or bruises along the journey. Founded by Sean Orlando of Engineered Artworks and Five Ton Crane, Artifact Logistics was an answer to a common problem that many large art artists have…once the artwork has been created, how does it get to its final resting place safely?
Marco Cochrane’s sculpture, R-Evolution – photo from Artifact Logistics
Supporting Artists In Every Step
I think what I love most about Artifact Logistics is their passion for helping their community. They truly want to see other artists succeed and part of that desire to uplift other artists is helping artists get their work out there into the world (or safely home). Trying to put your best foot forward as an artist, no matter how long you’ve been doing it, is stressful. It makes it easier to work with people who get it and can truly help you realize your dreams. The experience that this group of artists coordinating the logistics behind their own art getting from point A to point B allows them to have a special type of empathy for other artists and also speak the same language.
Art Logistics Lead Driver Cole Meeker talked more about this during our interview, Cole said, “What I love most about the work is the people I work with–both the in-house folks and our freaky artist clients. Much of what we do requires slowing down and understanding the specific needs of the artist as it pertains to their project, and making sure that all of it is done in a safe manner.”
If you needed some solid proof as to how much they care about community: several pieces of giant art were left stranded in Las Vegas last October went bankrupt without notice. Artists were panicking when they were told that their art would be lost if they didn’t come and retrieve it ASAP. Artifact Logistics donated their equipment and time to help to save the art. One piece took two 53-foot flatbed trucks to transport the piece out of Vegas safely.
“I love the fact that we help people realize their dreams, and help others to be inspired by those dreams and creative visions by actually bringing the projects where they need to be. We’re not just carrying commodity freight or a tractor or whatever–we deliver dreams!” – Cole Meeker.
Marco Cochrane’s sculpture, R-Evolution, on a truck home from Las Vegas – photo from Artifact Logistics
Founded by artists, for artists
Each employee has a very unique qualification that you don’t normally see in similar trucking or art handling companies: they are all artists themselves. Byrd Pappas (who makes custom metal sculptures) and Thom Puhek (a fabricator for Engineered Artworks) initially led the team with Orlando. Cole Meeker has since joined as the Lead Driver.
Sean Orlando talking about Artifact Logistic’s origin: “Myself and my team at Engineered Artworks already possessed that experience: loading, rigging, installation logistics. So I founded Artifact Logistics as the logical next step of my art practice–handling the transportation of the work. The expansion was aligned with Engineered Artworks’ values–we work on commissions that are granted to me as an individual artist, but collaboration is essential to our business: we support many other individual artists with engineering and fabrication, and take on commissions of sculptural projects for museums and institutions and other organizations.”
“Artifact Logistics is another way for us to collaborate with others and contribute within the creative community,” says Orlando, “I’m also involved with a couple of other entities that are part of this work: Five Ton Crane is the artist collective that sparked my career (and others’) making large-scale art, and it is now a nonprofit that provides fiscal sponsorship and mentorships. Myself and a group of supporters opened Seaport Art Studios in 2022 to provide much-needed creative workspaces for artists in the Bay Area, and it serves as a headquarters for these connected organizations.”
photo from Artifact Logistics
Driver Cole Meeker: “We provide specialized logistical support and transport of large-scale sculptures throughout the 48 states. We have equipment that allows us to pick up and deliver containerized projects or large art cars and other sculptures and take them anywhere they need to go. We are a sister company to Engineered Artworks and as such also have the capacity to provide installation and set-up services. As artists ourselves, we understand our clients’ concerns.”
“We’re art handlers and truckers and everything in between! We work at the logistical intersection of where those worlds come together,” said Meeker.
Duane Flatmo’s El Pulpo Magnifico on the truck photo from Artifact Logistics
How Does Big Art Actually Get Moved?
When an artist works with Artifact Logistics, they would be tailoring the art’s transportation needs depending on the art’s size and final location. They’ve worked all over the US – from transporting work for Art Basel in Miami to moving public art from one state to another.
For example, let’s say Artifact Logistics is moving art from The Bay to Burning Man. Since they’ve built and transported large art to Burning Man themselves, they have insider information on what it takes to make this happen. Starting with the dimensions of their art, the material, and the arrival deadline, Artifact Logistics takes that information and will help the artist potentially edit their art piece to better fit on a truck so that transportation is more achievable. Then, in the case of a Burning Man art piece, they would work with Burning Man’s art department to get their work to its final position on Blank Rock City’s map once they’ve arrived on playa.
Duane Flatmo’s El Pulpo Magnifico at Burning Man – photo from Artifact Logistics
Sean Orlando: “The first thing we talk about is dimensions. From there we can determine what type of equipment is needed. Does it require a flatbed or an enclosed box trailer? Do we need a step-deck or tilt-trailer? There are many different types of equipment and we determine which will best secure the artwork on its way.
Weight also comes into play–is this a 2,000-pound piece or is it a 35,000-pound piece? We try to stay within road legal dimensions and weight, but there are plenty of circumstances where we need to get special permits or figure out solutions for works that are over-length, over-height, over-width, or overweight. These situations are unavoidable, and we work through them with the artist.
Another important consideration is the rigging. In other words, how are we going to load this piece? Does it require a crane? Does it need a tilt trailer? Does it need a forklift? Can we fork it from underneath or do we need to rig it from above?”
“I love working with artists. I love the challenges of handling these unusual loads and the conversations I have with artists as we’re figuring out how to move their work,” said Orlando.
Find Artifact Logistics Online Here:
I’m looking forward to following Artifact Logistics’s journey of transporting large sculptural art. This year, just as they did last year, they’re working to help ensure that The Temple gets to Burning Man and working with several other artists as well. You can follow along on their journey through Instagram or contact them on their website to learn more.
IG: @artifact_logistics
Website: https://www.artifactlogistics.com/
Artifact Logistics transports Burning Man’s Temple to The Playa – photo by Rand Larson
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