In October of 2010, I was privileged to be the coordinator and lead exhibitor of the first ever Chalet art glass exhibit and retrospective “The Art &Artisans of Chalet Artistic Canada.” It was held at the Cornwall Regional Art Gallery and ran from Saturday, October 2nd until Thursday, December 2, 2010. Over the course of the show, the exhibit drew the attention of the Royal Ontario Museum and over 2,000 visitors.

 Over 320 pieces were on display – 328 to be exact. These pieces demonstrated the remarkable range and talent of the Chalet artists.  On exhibit was at least one piece of Chalet from every line and distributor that was known at the time. There was also extensive material regarding the company history, the artistry and artists.   The ” National Film Board interviews were given an exclusive viewing as well. On loan, were pieces from the personal collections of Chalet royalty – molleria artist Antonio Tedesco, Maestro Bruno Panizzon and his sons and Chalet artist Gianfranco Guarnieri.

 These gentlemen, along with Chalet artists Giovanni Voltolina and Roberto De Marchi and Chalet shippers/tour guides Irma and Bruna Tedesco, graced the opening reception as guests of honour to the delight of the more than 200 Chalet fans that attended this event. The daughter of Chalet founder and owner of Angelo Tedesco was also in attendance. Former Cornwall Mayor Ed Lumley travelled from Windsor to attend. Other guests came from all over Canada – Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, London, and Hamilton. The reception was described by the local paper as “… part family/employee reunion and part recognition soiree…” An apt description as it was a fantastic afternoon – the collectors were so excited to meet the artists and they in return were stunned at the attention! They truly had not believed me when I said they would be swarmed for autographs – one couple, who travelled by train from Toronto, brought along their first purchase of Chalet -a huge and very delicate “splash” vase. It wasn’t that they couldn’t get a babysitter – no, it was to get that piece autographed by Maestro Bruno Panizzon! Others brought photographs of pieces for the artists to identify.

 It was a privilege to bring the glass home to Cornwall for this show and an incredible learning experience –everyone made the most of this opportunity to get countless questions answered. It was so much fun as the artists were able not only to satisfy our curiosity but were able to give us a sense of the era and their experiences at Chalet. And they did it with grace and humour and delight. The reception and the lead up to it are some of my personal favourite memories. The exhibit is also the definitive milestone in my collecting as it firmly set me upon a research and writing path as well.

You will notice glass from other glasshouses (Lorraine Glass Industries, EDAG and some European) presented with the Chalet throughout pictures. The exhibit was pivotal in kickstarting our awareness and growing out understanding of Chalet’s place and those of its contemporaries. It was the singular event that started our community down the, “Is this Chalet?” path. It was one of “those moments” in time that are so important - we discovered the glasshouses of Mosaic Artistic Glass and EDAG.