Arlington's cultural transformation over the past decade created something unusual for a mid-sized Texas city: a thriving institutional art scene anchored by the Arlington Museum of Art and the University of Texas at Arlington's robust fine arts program. When the museum relocated to its new 42,000-square-foot facility in the Entertainment District in March 2024—seven times larger than its previous space—it signaled Arlington's commitment to becoming a serious regional art hub. But with that growth comes a practical challenge: moving valuable paintings safely between venues, exhibitions, and collections. ArtPort was built specifically for this scenario, providing the professional packaging, documentation, and carrier coordination that artwork requires as Arlington's art scene continues expanding.

Why Arlington's location makes shipping logistics matter

Positioned right between Dallas and Fort Worth in the heart of the Metroplex, Arlington sits at a geographic crossroads that shapes how artwork moves through the region. The city's central location means paintings headed to Houston travel about 257 miles south, translating to 1-2 day ground shipping. Austin sits roughly 193 miles to the southwest—close enough for next-day delivery but far enough that proper packaging becomes essential. Dallas is practically next door (just 15-20 miles east), while Fort Worth lies a similar distance west, making the Metroplex a dense concentration of collectors, galleries, and museums all competing for the same carrier routes.

This proximity creates unique pressure. When three venues schedule openings the same weekend, or when UT Arlington's Gallery coordinates student exhibitions while the Arlington Museum of Art prepares a traveling show, everybody's shipping timelines compress. Standard residential carriers handle boxes of books or electronics just fine, but paintings need different treatment. Canvas tension can shift during transit. Frames get scuffed at distribution centers.

The American Alliance of Museums publishes detailed guidelines for shipping collection objects: proper buffering space (2-6 inches between artwork and packaging), professional-grade materials, and comprehensive documentation aren't optional extras. They're baseline requirements for responsible artwork handling. Arlington's growing institutions increasingly follow these standards, which means shipping methods need to match that level of care.

How professional painting shipping actually works

Here's where ArtPort's approach differs from typical shipping services. The process starts with packaging materials arriving at your location first—before you're rushing to meet a deadline or coordinating pickup logistics. You get custom-sized, foam-lined boxes designed specifically for flat artwork: small (23in x 19in x 4in), medium (37in x 25in x 4in), or large (44in x 34in x 4in). These aren't repurposed moving boxes. They're built with internal foam lining that creates the buffer space museum guidelines require.

This two-journey system separates packing from pickup pressure. When a collector acquires a painting at auction or a gallery needs to return consigned work to an artist, they can pack carefully on their own timeline. Then the actual carrier pickup happens separately, with the artwork already secure in appropriate packaging. FedEx and UPS handle transportation, but they're working with properly prepared shipments rather than hastily wrapped pieces that might shift during transit.

Documentation matters just as much as packaging. ArtPort's condition reporting creates a photographic record at both origin and destination, establishing the painting's state before it ships and confirming its condition upon arrival. This isn't about paperwork for its own sake—it's about having clear evidence if insurance claims become necessary. FedEx limits fine art to a maximum declared value of $1,000 per package, according to their official declared value policies. UPS allows higher declared values (up to $50,000 per package with additional fees), but even that requires proper documentation to support claims if something goes wrong.

The real cost of inadequate packaging

Walk through a scenario that plays out regularly in Arlington's art community: a private collector purchases a contemporary painting from a Dallas gallery for $4,500. The gallery wraps it in bubble wrap and foam corners, boxes it in a standard cardboard container, and ships via FedEx Ground with $1,000 declared value (the maximum allowed for fine art). During transit through the carrier's Fort Worth distribution hub, the box gets stacked under heavier packages. The frame cracks at one corner. The canvas develops a small crease where pressure concentrated on an unprotected area.

Now what? The carrier's liability maxes out at $1,000—that's explicitly stated in FedEx's terms. But the painting was worth $4,500, and restoration might cost $800-1,200. The collector's frustrated, the gallery's reputation takes a hit, and there's a $3,500 coverage gap with no clear resolution.

Professional packaging addresses this from multiple angles. Foam-lined boxes distribute pressure evenly across the package rather than concentrating it on corners or edges. The spacing between artwork and package walls means impact forces dissipate before reaching the painting itself. Condition documentation establishes baseline state, making damage claims clearer and faster to resolve. And when working with carriers that allow higher declared values (like UPS at $50,000), you can actually insure artwork at its real worth.

Arlington's institutional shipping requirements

The Arlington Museum of Art's expansion brought with it higher expectations for how artwork moves in and out of the facility. Major museums don't accept paintings that show up in generic packaging with no documentation trail. When they loan works to peer institutions or coordinate traveling exhibitions, they expect professional handling standards—the kind outlined in resources like the Museum Registration Methods guide published by the American Alliance of Museums.

UT Arlington's fine arts program adds another layer to the city's shipping needs. With the second-largest undergraduate art program in Texas, the university produces hundreds of graduating artists annually who need to ship work to galleries, graduate schools, or collectors. A BFA candidate sending portfolio pieces to graduate programs in New York or California is making a professional impression that starts with how their work arrives.

Gallery 295 at UT Arlington and the student-run Gallery West at the Studio Arts Center both rotate exhibitions regularly, meaning artwork flows constantly between campus facilities and external venues. These are curated shows with formal exhibition schedules, opening receptions, and professional presentation standards. The shipping logistics supporting that calendar need to match the venues' seriousness.

Practical considerations for Arlington collectors and galleries

Let's get specific about what shipping actually looks like from Arlington to common destinations. Houston-bound shipments travel 257 miles and typically arrive within 1-2 business days via ground service. Austin shipments cover 193 miles and usually deliver next-day, making it feasible to coordinate pickups mid-week for weekend installations. Dallas and Fort Worth are close enough (15-20 miles each) that same-day or next-day delivery is standard.

For longer distances, transit times remain predictable. Arlington to New York runs about 1,600 miles and takes 3-5 business days via ground shipping, or 1-2 days expedited. Los Angeles is roughly 1,400 miles with similar timing. The key variable isn't distance—it's whether your packaging and documentation support the shipment surviving that transit without damage.

Here's where the two-journey approach proves its value. When a painting needs to reach a gallery by Friday, you can have packaging materials delivered to Arlington the week prior. Pack Tuesday or Wednesday at your own pace, verify everything's secure, then schedule carrier pickup Thursday morning for Friday delivery. Compare that to scrambling with whatever boxes you can find at a shipping store, hoping everything stays intact during rushed packing. The timeline pressure alone increases the likelihood something goes wrong.

When standard shipping fails artwork

Consumer shipping services optimize for volume, speed, and cost efficiency. That works fine for products designed to handle rough treatment—electronics in manufacturer packaging, books in padded mailers, clothing in poly bags. Paintings don't fit that model. A canvas stretched over wooden bars creates a rigid surface that can't flex or compress. Oil paint layers can crack under impact. Frames create edges and corners where damage concentrates if packaging doesn't buffer them properly.

Carrier hubs process thousands of packages hourly through automated sorting systems and manual loading. Boxes get stacked, shifted, dropped from conveyor heights, and subjected to pressure from heavier items. The packaging needs to account for that environment rather than hoping for gentle handling.

How to actually ship paintings from Arlington

If you're ready to move artwork from Arlington—whether you're a collector sending a purchase to another city, a gallery coordinating consignments, or an artist shipping to exhibitions—the process breaks down into clear steps. First, measure accurately: length, width, and depth of the framed piece or canvas. Most framed paintings under 23 inches fit the small format (23in x 19in x 4in). Larger works up to 37 inches need medium boxes (37in x 25in x 4in). Pieces reaching 44 inches require large boxes (44in x 34in x 4in).

Once packaging arrives, prep the painting before boxing it. For framed works, verify the frame is secure and glass (if present) is intact. The foam-lined boxes protect the surface during transit, ensuring nothing shifts inside.

ArtPort coordinates carrier pickup through integrated FedEx and UPS systems, handling label generation and scheduling automatically. You choose standard shipping (3-7 days) or expedited service (1-4 days) based on your timeline. Condition report photographs document the painting's state pre-shipment. At destination, the recipient unpacks and photographs the condition, completing the documentation loop that supports insurance claims if damage occurred.

What Arlington's art scene actually needs right now

The city's designation as a Texas Cultural District in 2016 set Arlington on a trajectory toward becoming a legitimate regional art center. The Arlington Museum of Art's massive expansion in 2024 accelerated that shift, creating exhibition space comparable to larger markets. UT Arlington's substantial fine arts program feeds talent into the local and regional art economy. Downtown Arlington's growing gallery presence adds commercial venues to complement institutional spaces.

All of that activity creates more artwork movement. Exhibition rotations at the museum happen multiple times yearly. UT Arlington galleries turn over shows every few weeks during academic terms. Private collectors acquire work from Dallas galleries, Austin fairs, and online platforms requiring shipping coordination. Student artists graduating from UT's program ship portfolio work to graduate schools and career opportunities nationwide.

As the city's art economy grows more sophisticated—with higher-value transactions, more institutional requirements, and greater reputational consequences for mishandled shipments—the logistics infrastructure needs to evolve too. That's fundamentally what ArtPort addresses: the gap between consumer shipping designed for mass-market products and the specialized requirements artwork actually demands. Arlington's positioned well geographically for regional shipping throughout Texas and beyond, and professional shipping services complete that ecosystem by ensuring artwork arrives safely, on time, and properly documented.

Use the pricing calculator below to get an instant quote for shipping from Arlington to Houston, Austin, Dallas, or other destinations. Whether you're coordinating exhibition logistics for the Arlington Museum of Art's next show, shipping student work from UT Arlington's galleries, or moving pieces between collection venues, ArtPort handles the packaging materials, carrier coordination, and documentation so you can focus on the art itself.