Alexis Joyner was born in Southampton County, VA on October 4, 1955, where he was educated in the public schools. He attended Virginia State University, graduating in 1978 with a BS Degree in Fine Arts. Joyner attended graduate school at Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University receiving the MFA in Sculpture in 1984. He taught in the Isle of Wight County Public School System for 10 years. Former Chair and Professor of Art, Joyner taught at Elizabeth City State University for over 29 years, retiring in 2015. He and his wife Robin have three children.

Joyner’s latest work has been experimental in nature and heavily influenced by his visits to Ghana and Nigeria, West Africa. He has created several works that are mixed media, abstract, figurative, sculptural forms. Joyner incorporates found and fabricated objects into his works for visual interest and surprise. These objects also aid in narrative clarity. Joyner’s pieces are meant to be transmitters of morals and old fashioned values. Many of his works have religious themes. He considers them to be visual sermonettes that speak to the African American experience in particular, and the human experience in general.