The Sculptors: Three-dimensional Masterminds

After getting his diplomas, Roussel returns to his hometown and becomes the first artist to ever teach art in New Brunswick public schools, having also convinced the School Board of the importance of creativity. After receiving several job offers in Quebec, he decides to stay in New Brunswick and becomes Curator for the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton. In 1961, he receives a grant from the Canadian Council for the Arts, and goes to Europe. Finally, after receiving a second grant from the Council, he becomes Guest Artist at l'Université de Moncton in 1963. At the same time, he works to add an Arts Program to the classic curriculum, and works persistently to create a Visual Arts Program. Two years later, he sets upl'Université de Moncton's art gallery and teaches there for 29 years. Now retired, he concentrates on creating with all imaginable material. He now lives in Cap-Pelé and still gets inspired from admiring the landscape.¹²

Recipient of several grants and honours, including the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts in 2005, Claude Roussel has also exhibited his work throughout the world, but always remembers his roots. "Roussel finds his own popular, allegorical or poetical subjects, in his riverside republic and in the history of the region."¹³