Janet Cook-Rutnik Retrospective II: 1978-2023 Exhibition Opening Nov. 12 Grand Opening Reception of CMCArts St. Thomas
CMCARTS
CARIBBEAN MUSEUM CENTER FOR THE ARTS
CMCArts Presents
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Janet Cook-Rutnik
Retrospective II: 1978-2023
Exhibition Opening Nov. 12
Grand Opening Reception of CMCArts St. Thomas
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas CMCArts (The Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts) is pleased to announce the exhibition opening of the Janet Cook- Rutnik Retrospective II: 1978-2023. Opening Reception: Thursday, November 12 | 5-8 PM in conjunction with the grand opening celebration of the new CMCArts St. Thomas location. Join us for live music, complimentary bites, a cash bar, ribbon cutting and conversations with the St. Thomas/St. John Chamber of Commerce.
St. John visual artist Janet Cook-Rutnik's retrospective is a portrait of an artist who has shown a remarkable consistency of theme and philosophical outlook since 1970, an artist who has long been interested in the implications of the Edenic myths at the origins of Western culture and the fractures and fissures formed where those myths run up against the Caribbean imagination. Over the course of the artist's career, learning to tend to that fertile area of consideration has resulted in works comfortable in their ambiguities and contradictions. What is paradise, anyway? A protective shell, yes, life-giving, but also a source of pain at the grief of the world. Behind the shadows cast by the fronds of Cook- Rutnik's gardens, one meets a side of humanity inconsolable but enduring. -excerpt from the exhibition catalog essay by David Knight, Jr.
This retrospective was organized by CMCArts and first exhibited at the organization's St. Croix location in 2024. An exhibition catalog is available for purchase as well as many artworks from both the exhibition and in CMCArts' museum store. The exhibition will be
on view through February 20, 2027.
After more than 30 years of serving St. Croix, CMCArts has opened a second location in the heart of Charlotte Amalie marking a significant step in its mission to more widely serve the Caribbean by serving the entire Virgin Islands through arts education and the promotion of local arts and culture. CMCArts St. Thomas opened its doors to the public on July 21st, 2026.
CMCArts' mission is to inspire and promote the Caribbean's rich cultural and artistic heritage through engaging its diverse communities. This expansion reflects a strategic and mission-aligned effort to increase accessibility and visibility for Virgin Islands and Caribbean artists while deepening community engagement across the territory.
10 Strand Street Frederiksted St. Croix
15 Dronningens Gade
Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas
ONE VIRGIN ISLANDS ONE CMCARTS
THIS IS YOUR MUSEUM
