Meet
Yosimar Alvarez
Mixxer's 2023 Winter Artist in Residence
Meet Yosimar
Yosi's first experience with Mixxer was in 2020 when he served as the Thomas S. Keenan Institute of the Arts Creative Catalyst Fellowship in conjunction with the Tremaine Foundation.
He has remained a vital part of our community ever since, and
became Mixxer's first ever own Artist in Residence in the fall of 2023.
Yosimar Alvarez is a 22-year-old multidisciplinary artist bringing vibrant vision to the Winston-Salem creative scene. His work across painting, graphic design, and wearable art makes strong visual statements, whether in stunning canvases or stand-out garments.
Drawing inspiration from his Afro-Mexican roots, Alvarez’s pieces come alive with radiant hues, spiritual motifs, and symbolic forms that offer windows into diverse experiences.
As a bisexual artist raised in a low-income neighborhood, he creates art to challenge societal boundaries and empower marginalized voices. Yosimar believes deeply in art's potential to expand perspectives. His goal is to spark discourse around inclusivity and use his gifts to increase visibility for people of all backgrounds.
Through visual storytelling that confronts norms and illuminates shared truths, this promising young talent intends to bring more unity, empathy, and acceptance to our collective blueprint.
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View more of Yosi's work
Yosi Alvarez grew up just a few minutes away from Mixxer Community Makerspace. As a little kid, he remembers making stuff for his family nativity scene, drawing, and doing crafts with his mom. She then began to expose him to more traditional Mexican art, a style that is still reflected in his work today. Yosi continued to learn and pursue creative hobbies in middle school by teaching himself painting techniques through trial and error and online resources. In high school, his passion for art continued to grow and become more serious as he took art classes and began actively thinking about his future. He started to create pieces that extended outside the realm of traditional Mexican style, and in doing so, has transitioned towards defining his own unique style.
For the past six months, Mixxer has served as a space for Yosi to continue growing into and defining his style. He was initially interested in experiencing a creative space for the first time and has grown to immensely value the Mixxer community. “I can bounce my ideas off people in our Mixxer community: Members and employees alike,” he said. “Together, we can enjoy learning stuff and collaborating on projects.” At Mixxer, Yosi mostly uses the flex space as its versatility supports his range of artistic pursuits, and he draws further inspiration from interacting with the steady flow of Mixxer members. In addition to the flex space, Yosi uses the laser cutter, vinyl cutter, darkroom, and screen printing equipment to bring his art and projects to life. During his time at Mixxer, he has participated in several screenprinting maker experiences and worked on various projects including his community play-box, Mixxer t-shirts, screen-printed tote bags, distinctive paintings, and custom stickers. Yosi plans to learn some new sewing techniques in our garment district to begin creating recycled clothing and is excited to continue using Mixxer to bring his ideas to life.
From a 2020 interview with intern Elliot Copeland
