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

Career

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Painting

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Bute began painting at a young age. She was mostly self-taught,[4][6] so her work was 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 documented 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 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 worked out of a studio at her home in Friar's Bay, Saint Martin.[5][11]

Writing

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Bute's short stories and poetry focused 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] Another collection, Reflections, was published in 2021.[18][19]

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.[20][21]

In 2024, Bute died at the age of 81.[22][23] On her passing, Saint Martin President Louis Mussington said the artist "will forever remain a cultural and spiritual icon of our island."[24]

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. ^ "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. ^ a b "Book Reviews". House of Nehesi Publishers. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  13. ^ a b "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. ^ Maunder, Hilke (2022-02-15). "Ruby Bute: die große Dame der karibischen Kultur". Mein Frankreich (in German). Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  19. ^ "New Exhibits Feature French Translations of Local Poetry". St. Martin News Network. 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ "Council of State Receives '185 Miles of Wind' by Sint Maarten Artist Ruby Bute". BES Reporter. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  22. ^ "RUBY BUTE DEATH: A cultural icon of SXM has passed away". Faxinfo. 2024-11-06. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  23. ^ "L'artiste Ruby Bute s'est éteinte hier". Journal Le Pélican à Saint-Martin (in French). 2024-11-06. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  24. ^ "Disparition de Ruby Bute : les hommages de L. Mussington et V. Berton". Soualiga Post (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-06.
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