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Ruby Bute

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Ruby Bute (January 13, 1943 – November 5, 2024) was a painter, storyteller, and writer of the island of Saint Martin. She became the first woman to publish a book in Saint Martin with her poetry collection Golden Voices of S'maatin in 1989. Bute has been referred to as "the first dame of St. Martin’s cultural arts."[1][2]

Early life and move to Saint Martin

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Ruby Bute was born in 1943 in Aruba to parents from Sint Maarten.[3][4] They had migrated to Aruba so her father could work as a fireman. As a young woman in Aruba, Bute married, had two children, and then divorced. Eventually her family, who had already moved back to Saint Martin, convinced her to join them there.[5] After arriving on the island in 1976, she lived in Marigot, on the French half of Saint Martin.[3][5] Over the years she lived and worked on both parts of the island before settling in Friar's Bay where, in 2009, she opened the Ruby Bute Silk Cotton Grove Art Gallery.[6]

Career

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Painting

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Bute began painting at a young age. She was mostly self-taught,[4][7] so her work was sometimes referred to as folk art.[8] After moving to Saint Martin, she began selling her paintings in shops on the island.[5] She had her first solo show in 1983; it was thought to be the first one-woman exhibition in Saint Martin.[9] Her paintings documented life and culture on the island in vibrant color.[4][10] Bute taught painting to children at the John Larmonie Center in Philipsburg.[3] She also taught art to prisoners and to tourists while they were vacationing on the island.[11] She worked at the Department of Culture beginning in 1986, and was the first woman to organize after-school activities for children in the country's elementary schools.[3] Ruby Bute worked out of a studio at her home in Friar's Bay, Saint Martin.[5][12]

Writing

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Bute's short stories and poetry focused on women's issues, particularly the lives of Afro-Caribbean women.[13] Her first poetry collection, Golden Voices of S'maatin, was published by House of Nehesi Publishers in 1989. A second collection, Floral Bouquet to the Daughters of Eve, followed in 1995.[14][3][13][15] Golden Voices of S'maatin is considered the first book published by a woman on Saint Martin.[14][16][17] It was a bestseller on the island, selling out its first printing in about three months.[18] Another collection, Reflections, was published in 2021.[19][20]

Recognition and death

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Bute received a lifetime achievement award from the Collectivity of Saint Martin in 2004.[3] She was honored by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 2005.[4] In 2019, her painting "185-Mile Winds," which depicts the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, was displayed in various official buildings in The Hague, including both houses of the Dutch legislature.[21][22]

In 2024, Bute died at the age of 81.[6][23][24] On her passing, Saint Martin President Louis Mussington said the artist "will forever remain a cultural and spiritual icon of our island."[25]

Publications

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Publications by Ruby Bute include:

  • Golden voices of S'maatin, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Caribbean : House of Nehesi, 1989. Introduction by Felix Choisy ; illustrations by Mosera and Ruby Bute.
  • Floral bouquets : to the daughters of Eve, San Francisco, California : Columbia Publishers, 1996. Short stories and poetry.
  • with Peter de Ruiter: St. Maarten, Caribbean Promotion, [Den Haag], [Laval, distr.], 2004. Photos with impressions of the island Sint Maarten.
  • Reflections, independently published, 2021.
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  • "Interview with Ruby Bute". stmaartenevents.com. January 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2022. Or Interview with Ruby Bute on YouTube
  • "Lady Ruby Bute Welcome to the website of Caribbean Artist, Poet & Storyteller, Ruby Bute". rubybute.com. Retrieved 24 April 2022. 'Art will be the medium to take us into discovery, adventure & independence - art makes our dreams come true' - Ruby Bute

References

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  1. ^ St. Martin Massive! A Snapshot of Popular Artists. St. Martin: House of Nehesi Publishers. 2000.
  2. ^ "Prime Minister Supports Art in the Park Event at Emilio Wilson Estate". St. Martin News Network. 2014-02-10. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Ruby Bute". Writers Unlimited. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  4. ^ a b c d "Art Prints - Ruby Bute". My Island Art. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  5. ^ a b c d "Painter, Poet, Story Teller: Ruby Bute". St. Maarten/St-Martin. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  6. ^ a b Singh, Alita (2024-11-08). "Grand Dame of Art, Ruby Bute, leaves island an enduring legacy" (PDF). The Daily Herald. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  7. ^ "Interview with Ruby Bute". St Maarten Events. 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  8. ^ "Art Walk". Islands Magazine. December 2007.
  9. ^ "Ruby Bute". Best St. Martin. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  10. ^ "Cati Burnot and Ruby Bute". The Daily Herald. 2015-01-07. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  11. ^ "St. Martin". The Telegram. 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  12. ^ Seward, Elizabeth (2012-04-20). "Ruby Bute: A Caribbean Legend". Gadling. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  13. ^ a b "Book Reviews". House of Nehesi Publishers. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  14. ^ a b "Do you know how many St. Martin women have written books?". Saint Martin News Network. 2014-03-06.
  15. ^ Williams, Frank A.; Romondt, Alice C. van (1998-07-01). "Bibliography of Caribbean Literature in English From Suriname, The Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, and The Netherlands". Callaloo. 21 (3): 703–713. doi:10.1353/cal.1998.0180. ISSN 1080-6512.
  16. ^ "St. Martin women tell their own hair stories for International Women's Day". St. Martin News Network. 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  17. ^ Badejo, Fabian. Salted tongues : modern literature in St. Martin. St. Martin, Caribbean. ISBN 0-913441-62-7. OCLC 54446730.
  18. ^ "Yvette's cookbook is a 2011 bestseller". St. Martin News Network. 2011-08-01. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  19. ^ Maunder, Hilke (2022-02-15). "Ruby Bute: die große Dame der karibischen Kultur". Mein Frankreich (in German). Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  20. ^ "New Exhibits Feature French Translations of Local Poetry". St. Martin News Network. 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  21. ^ "Carla Vlaun joins Minister Wuite to unveil Ruby Bute's Artwork at Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament in the Netherlands". St. Martin News Network. 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  22. ^ "Council of State Receives '185 Miles of Wind' by Sint Maarten Artist Ruby Bute". BES Reporter. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  23. ^ "RUBY BUTE DEATH: A cultural icon of SXM has passed away". Faxinfo. 2024-11-06. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  24. ^ "L'artiste Ruby Bute s'est éteinte hier". Journal Le Pélican à Saint-Martin (in French). 2024-11-06. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  25. ^ "Disparition de Ruby Bute : les hommages de L. Mussington et V. Berton". Soualiga Post (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-06.
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