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]
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]
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]
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] Her most recent collection, Reflections, was published in 2021. [18] [19]
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. [20] [21]
Publications by Ruby Bute include:
'Art will be the medium to take us into discovery, adventure & independence - art makes our dreams come true' - 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]
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]
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]
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] Her most recent collection, Reflections, was published in 2021. [18] [19]
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. [20] [21]
Publications by Ruby Bute include:
'Art will be the medium to take us into discovery, adventure & independence - art makes our dreams come true' - Ruby Bute