20 years of artverb*and the History of the Green Team 

 

a message from our founder…

Around this time in 2003 I bought my first truck, Herb, and the business was born, transporting & installing fine art in Toronto. I started off small and through hard work and dedication I have grown it steadily to what it is now. 

Before artverb* I was a full time artist doing mostly mousetrap related sculptures and installations, exhibiting all across Canada.

I feel like it’s important to mention that before artverb* I worked briefly for museumpros in Toronto over two-three years. There, under the guidance of Matt I learned the ropes on what it was like to be an “art handler”. He was a good leader, employing a lot of scrappy young artists. He continues to successfully run museumpros today. 

Over the years many big changes and developments have happened. Some of the most significant improvements happened after Agata (also my wife) joined the team. She continues today tirelessly propelling the company forward focusing on the logistics, quoting, and solving everyone’s Art emergencies. 

artverb* 2.0 was marked by the purchase of our HINO trucks equipped with lift gates, reefers, air-ride, monitored by sophisticated alarm systems. 

Right before this time we also started going to New York City doing regular art shuttles from Toronto. With the help of my friend Clint Griffin we started tackling the Big Apple and art fairs. Those were the days! Thanks Clint. We were also taking over where Doug Stone left off…

artverb* continues a bi-weekly shuttle service to New York, offering a three man team, and executing the toughest and most complicated jobs with the help of our American employees, and companies. -thanks orange team! 

Thanks Stephen for being our reliable 3rd man in the Big Apple! 

artverb* is now in its 3.0 phase. 

After surviving the pandemic, Agata and I decided to push the business to the next level, offering museum level ULC certified art storage with a viewing gallery and a new office. We installed Biometrics enabled security and remote monitoring offering the best security while still being conveniently located in downtown Toronto. 

In the past year I have made a real push to be more environmentally conscious. Reusable ROKBOX crates are changing the way we move art! A brilliant product made by our lovely friends across the pond. A new Van is on its way, and even an electric one soon too. 

There are many new faces at the green team mingling with the older ones. Sabrina, Obay, Mackenzie to name a few. Dean and Steven have stuck with us the longest and are both vital to our success. Oh ya, there’s also our sometimes office dog, Pippin! 

Shout out to Todd from @bitmappress who has helped us out with our cool shirts and swag over the years. Always something rad in the works!

Importantly, we continue to be an artist-run business, employing artists from various backgrounds. 

I even still get out sometimes in Herb, and get my hands dirty. 

Thanks to everyone who has ever used our services! I am still excited to be running this little company and hope to continue improving.

Ryan Barrett

Founder and Owner of artverb*