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About the artist

Tonito Valderrama

International environmental artist, educator and founder of The Artist's Nest. For more than 14 years the lead artist and educator at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, and now Director of the Wilderness Traveling Museum on Long Island.

Tonito at the Wilderness Traveling Museum, holding a talking stick and one of his portraits

Tonito Valderrama is an internationally exhibited environmental artist and educator. For decades he has worked closely with birds of prey, rescued wildlife, botany and Long Island's varied ecosystems, sharing that passion through wood, clay, paint and recycled materials.

Deeply influenced by his indigenous Taino ancestry, he explores traditional methods of native arts and symbolism, weaving a message of interconnection into large-scale sculptures, murals and nature installations shown around the world.

His classes and art have been shared on campuses and in schools, libraries, museums and galleries from Stockholm, Sweden to Costa Rica.

“Art lives in the elements of all living things and is communicated through the universal language of creative expression.”

The nest installations

Giant nests woven from driftwood and branches, built on beaches, in forests and at wildlife refuges for people to sit in, explore and gather around.

Tonito sitting above a giant nest with white eggs on a Long Island beach
Two children exploring inside a nest installation
Tonito playing a flute inside a nest in the woods

A life in art and nature

  1. C.W. Post, LIU

    Art education degree

    Studied art education, the start of a career that would span continents and mediums.

  2. Hillwood Art Museum

    Director of Museum Education

    Worked directly with pre-Columbian antiquities and modern masterpieces, shaping his artistic future.

  3. 14+ years

    Quogue Wildlife Refuge

    Lead environmental artist and educator. Installations he built there remain on site for visitors today.

  4. Around the world

    International exhibitions

    Sculptures and murals exhibited from Stockholm, Sweden to Costa Rica, and selected by the Heckscher Art Museum, Southampton Arts Center, Tilles Performance Center and more.

  5. Today

    The Artist's Nest and the Wilderness Traveling Museum

    Founder of The Artist's Nest and Director of the Wilderness Traveling Museum, bringing indigenous arts and culture to communities across Long Island.

Awards and affiliations

  • JP Morgan Chase Grant
  • SOS Grant
  • Huntington Arts Initiative
  • NYC Sculptors Guild member
  • East End Arts Council member
  • Past Exhibition Chair, Huntington Arts Council

Organizations he works with

  • Wildlife Sustainability
  • Group for the East End
  • Shinnecock Boys and Girls Club
  • CEED
  • East End Arts
  • Quogue Wildlife Refuge

Work with Tonito

Available for commissions, school programs, artist residencies and community installations.

Send a messageCall 516-368-2873