Chalet Artistic Glass and other Canadian glasshouses of its era
There is a lot of confusion and misinformation regarding both the history and operation of Chalet Artistic Glass and its contemporaries. Two of the most common and wrongly made assumptions are a confusion of branding and distributors as being glasshouses. For example – ‘Canada Art’ was a Chalet branding of Chalet made product. ‘Chantili’ was a Chalet distributor of Chalet made product. Neither are glass houses.
Due to Chalet’s later marketplace dominance, government support and successful capture of media attention, another wrongly held idea is that Chalet was the only well spring for art glass in Canada. Not so. Although Chalet grew to be the undisputed Canadian glass powerhouse, it was not the early foundation for other glasshouses. Nor were its artists. With one exception – Chalet artist Angelo Rossi, who had worked at Lorraine Glass Industries before Chalet, did go on to establish his own glass companies. However, these all followed Chalet’s closure in 1975. Therefore, I thought a quick capsule of the significant Canadian art glasshouses of the 1950’s through the 1980’s would help clarify some misconceptions. I have added a few details about their founders as well.
Altaglass
Altaglass was founded by J. H. Yuill in 1950. In 1952, ownership shifted to John Furch, who immigrated in 1949 to Canada from Czechoslovakia. Furch changed the direction of the company from producing high volume commercial goods to low volume high-quality decoratine glass. Altaglass was Canada’s first art glass company. To date, we know of no artists that crossed over between Altaglass and Chalet.
Les Industries de Verre et Miroirs/Murano Glass/Chalet Artistic Canada
Angelo Tedesco (a former Venetian glass blower, master glass cutter and engraver) following many of his countrymen from Murano, Italy,, settled in Montreal in 1952. He sponsored his brother, Luigi Tedesco, and his brother-in-law, Sergio Pagnin, and their families to Canada. Both men were master glass blowers having apprenticed under Venetian Maestri. In addition to his unique skillset, Sergio was also a chemist. In 1958, the three, with a French-Canadian partner, established a small glassmaking factory “Les Industries de Verre et Miroirs.” In 1960, the company name was changed to Murano Glass. The Montreal area had become a beacon for other glassblowers, and it was not long before Murano Glass was only one of several small Italian/Canadian glass factories in Quebec.
The future of Murano Glass was not secure - the budget was limited, there was just one furnace and only 3 glass blowers other than the owners – Sabatino DeRosa, Carlo Fuggia and Mirco DeValentina. Early pieces were in traditional Venetian style – elaborate and ornate. However, Angelo Tedesco was not one to let things happen – he made things happen and after a matter of months, Murano Glass made a huge move.
Across the border in Ontario, the city of Cornwall was facing massive job losses which resulted from the completion of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the closure of the Dundas, Canada, and Glengarry cotton mills. Unemployment in the city of 43,000 was at ten per cent and it seemed the economic devastation the city was suffering would likely worsen. To fight the oncoming recession and to attract new industry, the city’s industrial commissioner and a dozen local businessmen created the Cornwall Industrial Development Limited (CIDL). The federal government also designated Cornwall “depressed” and thereby eligible for tax incentives that could be offered to attract new business.
Murano Glass was one of 18 businesses that relocated to Cornwall; the company having suffered a devastation of their own in the form of a destructive fire. The industrial relocation tax incentives in addition to the prospect of a location in the renovated waterfront Cotton Mills Development offered by CIDL was too good to pass up. The business relocated to Ontario and production resumed in September of 1962.
However, more huge changes were also in the cards for Murano Glass. Sid Heyes from Toronto had joined the company as President and, Garry Daigle, from Montreal had became Sales Manager. This was a pivotal point for the company as Daigle and Heyes were insistent that Canadians would be attracted to glass of a more modern design. They persuaded the three owners to adopt this vision and, consequently, this new company path included another name change – to Chalet Artistic Glass. Not only did the company name change – design and production shifted. The glass blowers were increasingly instructed to generate art glass and lead crystal pieces with smooth, fluid lines, dramatic shapes and vibrant, striking colours. These pieces were created by techniques rooted in Venetian tradition but evolved into free-form hand worked “stretch” translations of the art form. In the words of Angelo Tedesco, “We had to change Venetian design to a small, modern design. Less artistic but more useful. Artistic for Canadian homes.” Chalet Artistic Glass operated until 1975.
Continental Glass Manufacturing Ltd.
Continental Glass was founded by bothers Josef and Louis Takacs in the spring of 1961 after leaving Altaglass where they had worked from 1958 to 1960. It operated for over a decade, closing its doors in 1973. To date, we know of no artists that crossed over between Continental and Chalet.
Venetian Art Glass/EDAG
In 1964, the Pavenello family established a small glass house in north Montreal. Shortly after, they changed its name from Venice Art Glass to EDAG. Its 4 letters are always in capitals as the company’s new name was derived from the initials of 2 of the Pavanello family members - Elio and Danilo (the Pavenello sons) and then the A and the G from the old company name. Family run, Elio and Danilo and Giovanni (their stepfather) were the primary glass blowers and, when needed, they hired glassblowers who had also immigrated from Italy. Some had also worked at other Italian/Canadian glasshouses in Quebec such as Sabatino DeRosa who had worked at Murano Glass but did not relocate to Cornwall. Very interestingly, Chalet Maestro Giulio Gatto began his career in Canada at EDAG as he immigrated from Murano with Danilo Pavenello with whom he had been friends with in Italy. EDAG concentrated on art glass until 1978 and, by its end, was the last Italian Canadian glass house of any significant size of the Chalet era. After 1978, it ceased glass blowing to concentrate on importing lighting from Italy. Many EDAG glass pieces are not production pieces but are unique as the owners were glass blowers who loved to push their creative limits.
Lorraine Glass Industries
Lorraine Glass Industries was established by Earl Myers in 1962. Mr. Myers was not a glass blower. Lorraine was a division of his larger holdings (S.P. Myers and Co. Ltd) which imported other decorative goods as well as Bohemia Glass from Czechoslovakia. Lorraine was a prominent Canadian glasshouse operating in Montreal during the same years as Chalet Artistic Glass. The Montreal factory employed about 50 workers and produced approximately 10,000 pieces a month - making it the closest company in size and production numbers to Chalet. Lorraine products were distributed worldwide - in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. It operated until 1974.
In 1962, Myers was the leading impetus in growing the Canadian glass blowing industry through the recruitment of 30 glass blowers from Murano to Canada to work at Lorraine. However, just a few months after arriving in Canada, Angelo Tedesco enticed most of these fellow countrymen into relocating to Cornwall to work at Chalet Artistic Glass – familiar names are Chalet Maestro Bruno Panizzon and Chalet artist Gianfranco Guarnieri. Angelo Rossi also worked at Lorraine before moving to Chalet. This also worked in 1968 when Tedesco was successful in once more persuading other artists whom Myers had recruited in Murano to relocate – Roberto De Marchi being one. Sabatino DeRosa went to Lorraine after leaving EDAG and remained there until Lorraine’s closure in 1974.
Gala Glass
Opening in late June of 1965, Gala Glass was yet another Cornwall, Ontario glasshouse. It was initially located in west Cornwall at 1204 Brookdale Avenue and then moved to 108 William Street. Founded by Maestro Otello Fuga. Fuga was a Murano trained artist who immigrated from Italy in 1963. He worked at Lorraine Glass Industries for two months before moving to Cornwall at Chalet owner Angelo Tedesco’s urging where he joined his fellow countrymen at Chalet Artistic Glass. The figurines that Fuga created at Gala were all hand-worked. However, Gala was not an oven/furnace glass factory. Fuga’s ornaments were made in his garage with 1/4" imported (from Italy) crystal rods which were heated until molten with a blow torch. The glass was then pulled and shaped.
Monogram Glass Co of Canada
Monogram Glass Co of Canada was a speciality glassware company established in Toronto in 1945 by Sid Heyes. As well as using some Canadian product, it imported a large quantity of plain crystal glassware, table and barware, vases, ashtrays and bowls from the United States and Europe. These were then decorated. The embellishments were done by hand carving and cutting, silk screening, hand painting and the adding of fused decals and ornamentation to the plain glass.
In late 1962, Heyes made the decision to relocate to Cornwall and meld forces with Chalet Artistic Glass. Monogram became an “associate company” but retaining the name Monogram with Heyes becoming an integral part of Chalet.
Mosaic Artistic Glass
In 1969, Edouard (Edo) Da Pratt, a prominent Cornwall contractor, opened Mosaic Artistic Glass Limited on Rosemount Avenue in Cornwall. This very small operation employed artists who had left EDAG or Lorraine Glass Industries. The tiny, two-oven company was not able to carve a niche against the glass powerhouse that Chalet had become and, after just over a year it ceased operation. Its glass blowers either joined their countrymen at Chalet (notably Maestro Giulio Gatto) or returned to Italy.
Rossi Artistic Glass
Although the glass companies established by Maestro Angelo Rossi ALL occurred after Chalet’s closure in 1975, I am mentioning them because of ongoing confusion regarding the connection between Chalet and Rossi. It is not uncommon to see assertions that Chalet Artistic Glass operated until the 1980s or that Chalet “continued” under Angelo Rossi. This is not accurate. Rossi comes from a long line of glass blowing families on Murano – where he did know Angelo Tedesco. He came to Canada to work at Lorraine Glass Industries before joining Chalet Artistic Glass.
At Chalet’s bankruptcy auction, its equipment - but not the building or the name - was bought by Rossi in partnership with entrepreneur Morris Jaslow. Following Chalet’s closure and for several years, Jaslow and Rossi - as “Artistic Lighting” - produced a line of table lamps and ceiling fixtures. Tragically, Rossi suffered a horrible work accident that forced him into a lengthy recuperation in Italy. Unable to work, Rossi had no choice but to sell his share of the company to his partner. In 1981, Rossi was able to return to glass blowing in Cornwall but did not rejoin Artistic Lighting. Instead, he established Rossi Artistic Glass and began producing a line of cranberry glass and other decorative glassware.
In 1994, Rossi left Canada to return to Italy once again. His return to Italy, however, was quite short: lasting a mere two years. In 1996, he returned to Canada and, with partners, opened Artistic Glass in Niagara Falls. In 2001, Rossi left the company to lecture about glass blowing in several American universities as well as working as a consultant with world -renowned Fenton Glass. In 2004, he returned again to Niagara Falls where he opened Rossi Glass. In this case, no other partners were involved. His company was renamed Angelo Rossi Galleria and Studio. Many of the former Chalet artists worked with Rossi in Cornwall and Niagara Falls. Rossi retired in 2022 and his Niagara operations ceased. For a thorough exploration of the Rossi glasshouses and connections to Chalet, please see this article.
Christallerie Chalet Vie et Art
After Chalet’s closure, Angelo Tedesco was among those who stayed in Canada. He remained in Cornwall where he worked etching and cutting glass. Among those that returned to Italy were Luigi Tedesco and Sergio Pagnin. In 1979, Angelo Tedesco and a partner, Jean Denis Legault, opened a very small glass house in Saint Zotique, Quebec. ‘Christallerie Chalet Vie et Art’ was very short lived – 2 years and had only 2 small ovens. Most significantly, Chalet artists Maestro Giulio Gatto, Roberto De Marchi, Giovanni Voltalina and Paul and Marcel Gravelle joined him there. They produced only clear crystal forms that, when unmarked, are assumed to be Chalet Artistic Glass forms as they are identical. Notably - Christmas trees, sailboats, ring trees, and the large elephant figurines.
Crystal Craft Industries.
When Artistic Lighting in Cornwall closed in 1979, Morris Jaslow’s partnership with Maestro Angelo Rossi also ended. He relocated to Montreal and resumed commerce under the Jaslow Industries Ltd. name which he had operated under since 1976. Primary products of his new company were decorative lighting and ornaments.
In 1983, Jaslow once again returned to work in Ontario. He and partner Jacob Fine opened Crystal Craft Industries. Crystal Craft was a small (2 ovens) glass blowing factory in the Scarborough area of Toronto. Roberto DeMarchi, a former Lorraine, Chalet, Gala Glass, Rossi, and Saint Zotique glassblower was asked to join this new venture. Another Lorraine artist, Toan Klein, also was recruited. Roberto and Toan were not fated to work together in Toronto because of their history with Lorraine as their work there did not overlap but ironically because both had connections to Jaslow through Angelo Rossi that led them to Crystal Craft. Other artists working there were Brian Ashby and Jeff Burnette. This new branch of Jaslow Industries was short-lived and closed circa 1983/1984.
Canadian Art Glass Company
Canadian Art Glass company was founded by Don Cruikshanks in Calgary in 1978. It operated only very briefly there to 1979 when it moved to Ontario where the company went out of business almost immediately. Mr. Cruikshanks had no connection to Chalet Artistic Glass.
