A Hybrid Art Gallery, Bookstore, Café, Rum & Wine Bar
Priscilla Hintz Rivera Knight and David Knight Jr., Bajo el Sol Gallery & Art Bar owners since 2016, are proud of the gallery’s more than 30-year legacy of support and engagement with the arts community of St. John and the greater Virgin Islands. The gallery is home to thought-provoking monthly exhibitions, readings and book signings by award-winning V.I. writers and poets, documentary screenings with regional and international filmmakers, as well as presentations by local and visiting academics and musicians.
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At the Art Bar, you'll find Puerto Rican espresso coffee, chocolates, wine, classic Caribbean cocktails, lite savory bites, soups, salads, and freshly baked pastries. The Art Bar is also home to the largest selection of aged rums in Cruz Bay, which can be sampled in curated tasting flights.​
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Located in Mongoose Junction, Bajo el Sol is just a five-minute walk from the Cruz Bay Ferry Dock.
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Events & Exhibitions
Staff Event Pick
Painters in Paradise: Exploring the Caribbean Islands by Maria Ausherman
Join us at Bajo el Sol Gallery on Saturday, May 10th starting at 4pm for a book signing and presentation by Maria Ausherman the author of Painters in Paradise: Exploring the Caribbean Islands.
With over fifty color reproductions of paintings, drawings, and maps, Painters in Paradise: Exploring the Caribbean Islands celebrates well-known artists born in the Caribbean such as Camille Pissarro, DWI (1830-1903), Francisco Oller, PR (1833-1917), Michael-Jean Cazabon, TT (1836-1910) as well as traveling artists such as Frederic Edwin Church, USA (1826-1900), and Winslow Homer, USA (1836-1910), who traveled to the Caribbean documenting the tropical islands. Ausherman’s book and her presentation will focus on the lives of these formidable artists, their inspirations, and the lasting impact of their art.
Ausherman, a teacher and independent scholar with family ties to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, is interested in the history of preservation, the history of photography, and the intersection of fine arts and documentation.
Current Exhibitions
Balanced Home by EXU,
Turned & Stitched featuring Avelino Samuel and Karen Samuel
In Exu's first solo exhibition at Bajo El Sol, "Balanced Home", the artist work weaves together a tapestry of color and emotion that speaks to the depths of the human soul. "My work is rooted in themes of spirituality and faith," Exu writes. "My art serves as a conduit for introspection and enlightenment. Each piece is a testament to the interconnectedness of all beings and the mysteries that bind us together."
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​"Turned & Stitched, Coral Bay Contemporary." In this exhibition St. Johnian artist siblings Avelino Samuel and Karen Samuel show case new works, woodturning & quilts respectively.
Rhyme & Lime Poetry Jam
Every last Saturday of each month starting at 7pm (except December, June, August & September), the Gri Gri Project along with Raven Phillips hosts Rhyme & Lime Poetry Jam at Bajo el Sol Gallery. This monthly event features the musical stylings of the event's house jazz band From Broheem With Love
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Rhyme and Lime features poets, musicians and spoken word artists of every experience level from around the world. Although the island that is home to the Rhyme and Lime claims a population of less than 5,000 people, the event’s reach has extended far beyond its shores, welcoming visiting performers from around the Virgin Islands, the rest of the Caribbean and the United States.​
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​You can read your own poetry or someone else's - or if you don't wanna rhyme, just listen and lime!
Book Of the Month
Rhyme and Lime Anthology
This publication features an aggregate of original poems that have been featured at their monthly poetry readings coined with the name Rhyme and Lime hosted at Bajo el Sol Art Gallery in Cruz Bay, St. John.
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The book was made in celebration of the fifth year of the event’s existence and features original poetry from poets who performed at the event between 2019 and 2023. Rhyme and Lime is a poetry event formed in 2019 by Virgin Islands’ poet Jamaica Hamilton alongside David Knight Jr. and Priscilla Hintz Rivera Knight.
Editors Raven Phillips and David Knight Jr. worked together to curate a poetry anthology that would celebrate numerous Virgin Islands poets and guests of the Virgin Islands who had shared original work throughout the years. William “Bill” Stelzer was integral in designing the book for publication.
Curator's Pick
VIRGIN ISLANDS MARKET BASKETS
by Crucian Bayside Creations
Crucian Bayside Creations is a ​folk art collaborative comprised of the
five Henry siblings from St. Croix: Letitia, Carla, Lloyd, La Verne and Carmen. They carry on a tradition of Virgin Islands basket-making that was passed down to them by their aunt, Eileen Henry-Huggins.
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The siblings each add their own modern flair to their baskets through the use of different wood types in the basket handles, and by including unique splashes of color in their basket designs.
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Gustos Premium Espresso Coffee From Our Neighboring Island of Puerto Rico
Sip our single origin, small batch coffee, in one of our handmade, locally crafted coffee cups.