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Robert Lamont Russell (1892-1957)

taught for 34 years, from 1923 until 1957, as Master at Tullygrawley Public Elementary School in Cullybackey. This exhibition celebrates the extraordinary artistic results that Russell obtained from his pupils.

"R.L. Russell was a teacher considered by many to use methods which were in advance of his time. His teaching methods were developed in the classroom to suit the real lives of his pupils. He believed that every child had creative potential and carefully assisted them to find ways to express this. Many visitors to this exhibition will be surprised, I'm sure, to see that art work of this quality has been produced by children as young as 10 years old."

Russell's work attract considerable interest at the time. In 1935 he published his book, The Child and His Pencil, and in 1936 his services to education were recognised by Queen's University Belfast when they conferred on him an honorary Master of Arts degree.

Robert Lamont Russell (1892-1957) taught for 34 years as the master of Tullygrawley Primary school near Cullybackey. Some of the children from the school produced lino prints to illustrate Sam Henry's 'A Hank of Yarns'.

After training at Marlborough Training College, Dublin, Mr. Robert Lamont Russell spent the first ten years of his teaching career in various small country schools in Tyrone and Antrim before taking up the post of headmaster at Tullygrawley Public Elementary School in April 1923. His father Mr John Russell had been headmaster here until his retirement and where R. L. Russell had received his own elementary education. Mr Russell soon found his senior pupils taking an eager interest in drawing, and many of their written exercises a delight to read, entering many of them into a competition and was pleasantly surprised when prizes were awarded. Often described as a “man ahead of his time” R. L. Russell encouraged his young pupils to express themselves through drawing and writing, especially poetry and here are some of the poems written by many of R. L. Russell’s pupils.