Ruby Bute

Ruby Bute (born 1943) is 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

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 settled in Marigot, on the French half of Saint Martin.[3][5]

Career

Painting

Bute began painting at a young age. She is mostly self-taught,[4][6] so her work is sometimes referred to as folk art.[7] 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.[8] Her paintings document life and culture on the island in vibrant color.[4][9] Bute taught painting to children at the John Larmonie Center in Philipsburg.[3] She has also taught art to prisoners and to tourists while they were vacationing on the island.[10] 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 works out of a studio at her home in Friar's Bay, Saint Martin.[5][11]

Writing

Bute's short stories and poetry focus on women's issues, particularly the lives of Afro-Caribbean women.[12] 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.[13][3][12][14] Golden Voices of S'maatin is considered the first book published by a woman on Saint Martin.[13][15][16] It was a bestseller on the island, selling out its first printing in three months.[17]

Recognition

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.[18][19]

References
  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. "Ruby Bute". Writers Unlimited. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  4. "Art Prints - Ruby Bute". My Island Art. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  5. "Painter, Poet, Story Teller: Ruby Bute". St. Maarten/St-Martin. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  6. "Interview with Ruby Bute". St Maarten Events. 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  7. "Art Walk". Islands Magazine. December 2007.
  8. "Ruby Bute". Best St. Martin. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  9. "Cati Burnot and Ruby Bute". The Daily Herald. 2015-01-07. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  10. "St. Martin". The Telegram. 2012-01-18. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  11. Seward, Elizabeth (2012-04-20). "Ruby Bute: A Caribbean Legend". Gadling. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  12. "Book Reviews". House of Nehesi Publishers. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  13. "Do you know how many St. Martin women have written books?". Saint Martin News Network. 2014-03-06.
  14. 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.
  15. "St. Martin women tell their own hair stories for International Women's Day". St. Martin News Network. 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  16. Badejo, Fabian. Salted tongues : modern literature in St. Martin. St. Martin, Caribbean. ISBN 0-913441-62-7. OCLC 54446730.
  17. "Yvette's cookbook is a 2011 bestseller". St. Martin News Network. 2011-08-01. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  18. "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.
  19. "Council of State Receives '185 Miles of Wind' by Sint Maarten Artist Ruby Bute". BES Reporter. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
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