Industry One has booked out two years’ worth of shows, with its next exhibition going to a photographer from Mexico City whose work has appeared in Vanity Fair. Valadez sees Industry One’s diverse lineup as an extension of the changes he’s seeing in Portland, where the city’s nearly 70% white population makes it one of the most homogenous in the U.S.—but doesn’t speak to the strength or contributions of its other communities.
“In 2020, Downtown was in ashes—let’s just be honest—and the beauty of it is that out of those ashes, you have individuals that are hungry,” he said, including himself in the mix. “You have individuals like Angel at Republica, Gregory [Gourdet] at Kann, you have [Creative 100 honoree and Claima Stories podcaster] Bimma Williams and out of that energy, we took the mic and said, ‘Now we can shape Portland into this next version of itself.’”
Valadez is in conversations with Medina, Williams and others about how best to use their influence, but one of the answer has shown up in West End Wednesdays posters and QR codes just outside Industry’s door.
Tying it together
Industry One has a brainstorming space for Industry’s creatives just behind the scenes. A floor above—in what was once the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art—there is lobby space, glass conference rooms, cubicles and workspace all surrounded by artwork. Just above that, maker and fabrication spaces and a living room/trophy room of Industry creations for Nike and others flows onto a rooftop patio where it hosts its West End Wednesday events at the end of each month.
Joining 30 other area businesses in inviting in guests for events, Industry keeps Industry One open and brings other businesses, including Portland’s Deadstock Coffee, Matta and Heyday Donuts to the patio for the festivities. Using experience gleaned while running Air Max Day for Nike, Valadez is attempting to connect both small Portland businesses and its larger players including Nike, Adidas, Intel, Instrument, Wieden+Kennedy and convince one of the top U.S. talent exporters to retain its best people.