Upstairs Artspace will host the extensive art exhibition Uncommon: Elizabeth Matheson Photographs 1970-2018, Oct. 21-Dec. 2, 2023, giving Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina a look at the work of one North Carolina’s most celebrated photographers. She received the North Carolina Award for Excellence in the Arts, the state's highest civilian honor, in 2004.

This exhibit is a survey of more than 70 images drawn from Matheson’s 50-year career ranging from her early vintage gelatin silver prints to her stunning self-portraits and her contemporary large-scale color work.

The exhibition will open at Upstairs Artspace on Saturday, October. 21, with Matheson present for a Walk & Talk from 5 to 5:30 p.m, followed by a reception until 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. This first-ever exhibition in Tryon features Matheson’s personal and intimate experience of landscapes and interiors from North Carolina and around the world, a recurring motif reflecting an abiding interest in memory, perception, and the power of place.