On Tuesday April 5, 2022, Joseph Gallivan interviews five people from JaJa PDX, [PRONOUCED JAW JAW] a new art and performance space on the central east side at 819 S.E. Taylor St. The 20,000 square foot space incorporates The Haven artists collective. Joseph interviews JaJa PDX founders Blue and Mariano Di Yorio, as well as Danny Stephens, a cofounder of the Haven, and artists Dustin Ager, Joe Riso and Moksha.
INSTAGRAM: @jajawoods and @brushfireheart_ @thehavenpdx
This show was recorded on a Pixel 6 phone on March 29, 2022, without masks.
FROM THE PRESS RELEASE:
Introducing JaJa PDX: Skillfully juggling art, performance and community in their
new 20,000sf warehouse (previously the home of Green Depot for 20 years)!
Located at 819 SE Taylor St., JaJa has transformed their new environment –now
home to a performance art space, wood shop, ceramic studio and 30+ occupied
artist studios
JaJa PDX has come to life and we carved out space in downtown Portland where artists and creatives can flourish. We hope to protect this little patch of land from an industrial fate and to provide space for skilled artists and craftspeople to follow their
visions and dream big. We teamed up with an amazing group of artists called The Haven and this partnership has created
the foundation for our endeavor. Co-Founders Mariano Di Yorio and Blue met and collaborated through the Pandemic
at Art Design Xchange (ADX) where Blue is the community manager and sought out ways to build community when the
world required so many to be physically isolated. It was through this community building and love of collaboration that the
idea of JaJa PDX began to form. These shared experiences showed us that we can speak things into existence. We can
invite people to participate and the response is amazing. The Portland community wants to engage and build and learn
together. We hope we can continue that tradition and work with independent artists and other creative spaces.
THE FOUNDERS: Mariano was born in Argentina in 1979 and he co-founded “Trivenchi”, the first social circus school in
Buenos Aires city. After receiving government funding for the project he was later discovered by Cirque Du Soleil in 2008,
and performed with them until 2017. Mariano’s dynamic background includes circus production and performance, venue
event planning, comic acting and production managing a gubernatorial election campaign. He later founded maker business
JaJa Woods in Las Vegas where he worked until moving with his family to Portland in 2020 and starting JaJa PDX. He
continues on his journey as an artist and works towards social practices that enrich human existence! His business partner
Blue is a mixed media and social forms artist who works to create opportunities for artists in Portland. Blue has created and
curated several gallery spaces and art shows locally. His art is often related to social justice initiatives and is designed to
raise awareness and positive change. Blue was the lead artist for the UFCW 555 campaign for wage equity and has created
a gallery for currently and formerly incarcerated artists. Blue is also the co-founder of the ADX gallery which sold over
$20,000 worth of art during the pandemic with 100% of the proceeds going to the artists.
What Is JaJa PDX?
. PERFORMING ARTS SPACE: A space for juggling, flow, aerial acrobatics and anything else you can imagine…
and a place to decompress, paint and listen to music. We have a 4,000sf space with a 6,000sf parking lot.
. WOOD SHOP: We host large machines that the average person can’t fit into their garage. We have a membership
structure that will cap at 16 with the goal of accessibility and human connection.
. CERAMIC STUDIO: Our ceramic studio houses three Portland made Skutt kilns and five wheels for turning.
Memberships are available and the input of people who love to play with clay is guiding our development.
. MEMBERSHIPS: Our studios space is nearly full but there will be opportunities to get involved and activate the
space. We are only limited by our own imagination.
CONTACT Blue: 503-847-1555 blue@jajapdx.com 819 SE Taylor Portland OR, 97214 More info @jajapdx
Next event April 22, 2022
THE BIG ASK
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Joseph Gallivan has been a reporter since 1990. He has covered music for the London Independent, Technology for the New York Post, and arts and culture for the Portland Tribune, where he is currently a Feature Writer. He is the author of two novels, "Oi, Ref!" and "England All Over" which are available on Amazon.com
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