UST alums present homemade gallery
Recent UST graduates host unique collection from home
Danielle Stillman
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: A & E
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That gesture of hospitality perfectly sums up the spirit of the Joanna: laid-back, fun-loving and welcoming. Being hospitable is definitely a plus, considering the gallery space is housed within Rod's tiny post-war bungalow.
If Ledvina and Rod were a comedy team, Rod would definitely be the straight-edge man. Clean-cut and deep-voiced, Rod is responsible for the Joanna's day-to-day administration and has more of a mind for organization than the high-energy Ledvina.
"We're sort of like a Chamillionaire-Lil' Flip duo," Rod said, alluding to the two Houston-based hip-hop artists. "Cody is the color-changing lizard, but I give great flows…and Paul Wall is the community."
The two UST graduates have created a community-oriented project and gallery space that attracts artists of varying backgrounds. The Houston Press, the Free Press, and other media outlets have recently profiled the gallery, and artists in Austin are talking about the Joanna's most recent show.
While at the University, Ledvina and Rod began to interact after sharing a class together during their senior year. "We knew of each other," Rod said, remembering the times prior to the class. "We were kind of friends-friends on the outskirts. Like Cody would say 'Hey, what's up?' and we'd have that awkward 'I-don't-know-how-I-feel-about-this' moment. But our senior year we really started collaborating."
A year-and-a-half ago, prior to the Joanna's conception, both Rod and Ledvina put on a show together during their senior year in Rod's old residence. That show foreshadowed their current project. "I still think it was one of our most successful shows, even though nobody came," Ledvina said. "It was really well-put together and had a lot of really cool things."
The story behind the project's name is as wickedly twisted and creative as Rod and Ledvina's senses of humor. While living with a former roommate, Ledvina created a nasally-voiced character whom he eventually named Joanna. "She was 13, she chain-smoked, she was in love with her stepdad," Ledvina said, rattling off Joanna's characteristics.