Skip to Content

THOSE People, a solo exhibition by Ladianne Henderson at the Iredell Museum’s Court Street Gallery in 2006, broke new ground by inviting the community to examine the nuances of identity, perception, and the act of “othering.” The exhibition seamlessly integrated film, immersive installation, and a broad range of visual artworks, crafting a multi-sensory experience that challenged audiences to consider both personal and communal narratives.

Exhibition Highlights

  • The central film, also titled THOSE People, traced a journey from North Carolina’s Piedmont to the coast, featuring six individuals reflecting honestly on moments of being marginalized as well as times they took part in marginalizing others. Among the voices was that of a trans woman, whose inclusion was integral to the film’s intent to portray the spectrum of belonging and difference experienced within society.
  • The exhibition’s thematic focus on empathy, self-awareness, and the invisible patterns that connect and separate us resonated deeply, sparking community dialogue well beyond the museum walls.
  • Henderson’s multidisciplinary approach—spanning film, installation, and traditional media—invited thoughtful engagement with both the seen and unseen aspects of social identity and humanity.

Media Reception

  • Local and regional media covered THOSE People with attention to its timely and courageous subject matter. Community papers and arts commentators noted the exhibition’s power to cultivate dialogue around topics often left unspoken, citing visitor testimonials on the impact and emotional resonance of the film and installations.
  • The show was described as “thought-provoking” and “deeply necessary” in reviews, with particular praise for its ability to bridge personal storytelling with larger questions about inclusion and community.

Institutional Impact and Milestones

  • THOSE People became the most highly attended exhibition to date at the Iredell Museum’s Court Street Gallery, drawing unprecedented visitor numbers and programming interest—a testament to both its accessibility and relevance.
  • Prior to opening, the museum’s board considered canceling the exhibition due to concerns over the film’s inclusion of a trans woman—a decision reflecting broader tensions around representation and visibility in cultural spaces.
  • In response, Ladianne Henderson engaged with the board directly, providing context and insight into the exhibition’s mission and the necessity of honest, inclusive storytelling. Through these efforts, the board was encouraged to support the show, recognizing the value and integrity of the work and its contribution to community understanding.

THOSE People stands as a landmark project, not only for its artistic merit but for its role in expanding conversations within both institutional and public spheres. Its legacy at the Iredell Museum endures as a model of art’s potential to foster openness, challenge comfort zones, and create lasting spaces for dialogue and empathy.

Installation Overview: Six Doors, Six Stories

As part of the THOSE People exhibition, Ladianne Henderson created a powerful installation featuring six reclaimed doors, each transformed into a distinctive artwork. Serving as the physical and symbolic substrate for the installation, each door represented one of the six individuals whose stories are featured in the accompanying film.

Standing upright within the gallery, the doors became more than architectural remnants: they were thresholds—points of entry and exclusion—mirroring the exhibition’s themes of othering, identity, and the barriers we place between ourselves and others. Each door’s weathered surface preserved its own history while bearing the marks, images, and visual language that told the story of its corresponding individual. Mixed media, paint, and found objects were layered onto each panel to evoke personal narratives, lived experience, and the unique presence of every participant.

This arrangement invited viewers to move physically from one story to the next, encountering the diversity and complexity of each person up close. The tactile, human scale of the doors encouraged reflection on both the separation and the shared humanity at the heart of the exhibition. Through this installation, Henderson offered a moving testament to resilience, empathy, and the ongoing search for connection, making each once-discarded door a portal into an individual world—open, vulnerable, and powerfully seen.

Film

Created for her solo exhibition THOSE People, this film of the same name delves into the dynamics of othering—examining both how we experience exclusion and, in turn, how we may enact it upon others. Through the voices and reflections of six individuals who share stories of being marginalized as well as moments when they themselves contributed to that sense of separation, Ladianne Henderson weaves a nuanced narrative of empathy and self-awareness. Filmed during a journey from the Piedmont to the coast of North Carolina, the work captures a collective sentiment that runs deeply through the fabric of our communities, illuminating universal patterns of belonging and difference.