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Ruby Bute: the painter, poet and storyteller of St. Martin

A tribute to Ruby Bute (1943–2024), the self-taught painter, poet and storyteller who became the first woman to publish a book on St. Martin.

By SXM Daily ·

Ruby Bute was a painter, poet and storyteller who spent half a century chronicling life on St. Martin. A self-taught artist, she became the first woman to publish a book on the island, and the Government of Sint Maarten's Department of Culture called her a "Cultural Icon" and the "Grand Dame" of culture on St. Martin.

The Church of St. Martin of Tours in Marigot (illustrative)

Illustrative: Church of St. Martin of Tours, Marigot. Photo: Concord / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Roots in Aruba and St. Martin

Ruby Bute was born on 13 January 1943 in Aruba to parents from St. Martin. In its condolence notice of 26 November 2024, the Department of Culture recalled that she grew up in Aruba in an area called the Village, home to families who worked at the Lago oil refinery. She moved to St. Martin, her parents' homeland, in the early-to-mid 1970s.

A self-taught painter

Bute taught herself to paint. She held her first solo show in the mid-1980s. The Department of Culture described her work as a warm chronicle of island life, from everyday scenes and Carnival to string band musicians and domino games, painted on canvas and even on wooden window shutters.

First woman to publish a book on St. Martin

In 1989, House of Nehesi Publishers released her Golden Voices of S'maatin, the first book published by a woman on St. Martin. The government and Faxinfo both record that milestone. The Department of Culture described the book as a tribute to the long oral tradition of St. Martin and the Caribbean.

Silk Cotton Grove

In 2009 she opened the Silk Cotton Grove Art Gallery at her home in Friar's Bay, where visitors could see her work. Department of Culture head Clara Reyes remembered "Mama Bute" as a teacher of young pupils and a host to visitors of every generation.

Remembered

Ruby Bute died on 5 November 2024, aged 81. Elected officials reacted with sadness, The Daily Herald reported. At Carnival 2025, the Klimaxx Karnival troupe paid tribute with its presentation "The Colorful Story of Ruby Bute", CaribbeanFocus reported.

Sources

  • https://www.sintmaartengov.org/news/pages/Department-of-Culture-extends-its-deepest-condolences-to-Cultural-Icon-Ruby-Bute.aspx
  • https://www.faxinfo.fr/en/hommage-lheritage-eternel-de-ruby-bute/
  • https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/elected-officials-react-with-sadness-at-passing-of-ruby-bute-omer-arrondell
  • https://www.caribbeanfocus.com/klimaxx-karnival-presents-the-colorful-story-of-ruby-bute-a-cultural-tribute-honoring-a-national-treasure/
  • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St.Martin(Marigot)_02_2025_03.jpg

Source: https://www.sintmaartengov.org/news/pages/Department-of-Culture-extends-its-deepest-condolences-to-Cultural-Icon-Ruby-Bute.aspx

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