Native Arts Profile #9: Alex Meraz

Alex Meraz

Name: Alex Meraz
Birthday: January 10, 1985
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona
Art Media: Painting, Illustration, Dance, Film

Before Alex Meraz was an actor he had already contributed a great deal to the arts community. Riding two hours to and from school every day, he attended the New School for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona. Before graduating he had already shown and sold his artwork. Growing up, his older brother, Jose, introduced him to physical outlets like martial arts, such as Axé Capoeira.

"If your surroundings are bad, you can be easily influenced unless you have an outlet that gives you a different outlook on life. I wanted to show my little brother that he doesn't have to settle for what he has. He can go out there and reach for the stars," said Jose.

Alex also spent a lot of time with the Guerrero family when he was a kid, who are a family of artists, actors, musicians, and dancers. It was in Zarco Guerrero's studio that he learned to breakdance and learned mask making. According to Carmen Guerrero, "Alex wanted to be a part of whatever was going on".

In 2001 he moved to San Francisco to pursue dance. He was one of the founding members of Dancing Earth along with choreographer Rulan Tangen. Rulan encouraged him greatly,

" 'Why not try? Why live your life fear-based?' She really encouraged me to step into the unknown," Alex said.

with Santee Smith
photo by Nadya Kwandibens

"It wasn’t until I moved to San Francisco that I met my mentor, [actor] Raoul Trujillo, who saw me dance, thought I’d do well in film and got me my first acting gig."

In fact, Alex drove to Trujillo's home in New Mexico to record his audition tape for his part in The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

"With painting, you’re showing more of a subconscious level of your work. The gratification is immediate. Dance is the same way. It’s real, and its organic, but I feel like you can hide behind your body. With acting, you can’t. You have to be very honest. You have to try and translate emotions that everyone has gone through."

While his artwork isn't his main focus right now, don't be surprised if you see Alex return to it in the future.

"I went to an art school... and I was basically drawing nude models at the age of 13. Initially, I wanted to be a professional painter, and eventually, I got a scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute. However, I ended up not taking that route because I realized that art was something I could always do," he said.