Inductions

Claude Roussel

Claude Roussel was inducted into the Edmundston Arts Hall of Fame on October 28, 2007. He is a true pioneer in the advancement of the arts in New Brunswick. A multidisciplinary artist, sculpture, painting, engraving and drawing are all part of his daily life. His work has received international recognition. Born in Edmundston on July 6, 1930, Claude Roussel was the eldest of 15 children. From an early age, he knew the meaning of the expression “se serrer les coudes” (“pulling together”). He left home in 1950 to attend the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal. He continued his studies until 1956. Early in his career, he realized the importance of culture in general for society. He saw an obvious gap for Francophones in New Brunswick.

After graduating, he returned to his hometown to teach art in six Edmundston public schools. He asks his students to always stimulate their imagination and creativity to the maximum. From 1959 to 1963, Claude Roussel was assistant curator at the Lord Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton. This experience enabled him to meet and convince one of the founders of the Université de Moncton and its first rector, Father Clément Cormier, to hire him as artist-in-residence. In this capacity, he set up art courses and workshops at the Université de Moncton and founded the Galerie d’art in 1965. The Moncton art program was introduced at Collège de Bathurst in 1967 and at Université Saint-Louis-Maillet in 1967.

Claude Roussel taught at the Université de Moncton for 33 years. He paved the way for many artists in the Northwest and New Brunswick. In the course of his career, he has created an impressive number of monuments in New Brunswick, Canada and Seoul. His last major project was two large-scale mosaic murals at Moncton’s Assumption Cathedral. His career spans more than six decades of production in a variety of styles and materials. He has participated in more than 150 exhibitions, most of which were collectives.

Claude Roussel has always been an ardent defender of artists’ rights. He was actively involved in the creation of the Canadian Artists’ Front (CARFAC). He is the recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts (2005), elected Chevalier de la Pléiade by the Ordre de la francophonie, Paris, a member of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of New Brunswick and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

Claude Roussel (first married to the late Brigitte Belzile of Edmundston) is now married to Raymonde Blanchard. The couple have seven children, Denise, Francine, Claire, Suzanne, Huguette, Sylvie and Raymonde’s daughter Sonia.