Through gallery events, gatherings on Industry’s roof deck and West End Wednesdays organized through Industry One and neighboring businesses, Valadez sees a way for his creative agency to influence the world around it without relying on campaigns, spots or releases. Industry wants to prove that an agency can be a vital part of its surrounding community, and opening its doors is just the first step.
“Being a huge advocate of small businesses of Downtown Portland—I was born in Mexico, so I have felt and know the social injustices you can face being an immigrant in this country—I felt those 100 days of protest, those 100 days of chaos in the city,” said Valadez, Industry’s founding partner and executive creative director. “It’s my responsibility to tell the story of Industry and open the doors but, more importantly, [tell the story of] what’s in front of me.”
Work to do
Opened in November 2022, Industry One kicked off with an exhibition by New York-based Black chefs’ collective Ghetto Gastro. Shows by indigenous Mexican artist Josué Rivas and Los Angeles creative studio Object & Animal followed, pulling work from a broad spectrum of sources and bringing life to a corner of downtown darkened by vacancies and construction projects.
“What happens if we create a creative community space, where we inspire the creative class here in Portland with incredible, diverse creators from around the world?” Valadez said. “One thing we realized was that many of these artists work with brands, but are not really fully expressing themselves.”
Valadez and his agency planned to allow marketing-tied artists to work beyond campaigns, display their work in Industry One and sell their pieces without Industry taking a commission. Instead of doing a portrait of Kobe Bryant, Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona for a brand, Madsteez could simply work with BMX bikes, Nintendo consoles and other totems of his youth and coat them in color that evokes the palettes of the ‘80s and ‘90s.