Bio

Tommy (T-Bone) Muniz is an artist who lives in Putnam County, NY. He holds a BA from The School of Visual Arts and an MS from the College of New Rochelle.

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He is a retired public school art teacher, and former Professional Developer for the Yonkers school district’s art faculty. His natural leadership and love for education, together with his activist heart, prompted him to run for and consequently serve as an elected union officer representing teachers throughout his career on both the local and state level. Additionally, Muniz’s creative drive led him to pursue a tattooing apprenticeship. He worked as a tattoo artist for fifteen years, an endeavor that continues to influence his visual sensibility.

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As an educator, Muniz spent thirty-plus years fostering the creativity and celebrating the voices of thousands of Yonkers students. “One gift that teaching offers is the witnessing of transformations of adolescent children into young, responsible adults. With a new awareness of themselves and the world around them, it is a moment both of great tragedy and liberation -truly beautiful to witness.”

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Muniz’s early drawings, paintings, and mixed media works addressed social and political issues such as the AIDS crisis, gender, masculinity, psychological disorders, and war. An educator at heart, Muniz’s work grabs you on an emotional level and engages your intellect as he challenges pre-conceived understandings of a subject. “For me, as a good teacher encourages intellectual growth, a successful work of art can be a similar catalyst for personal development.”