ArtNC

Drive-in theaters were once common institutions offering entertainment in a casual setting, usually on the outskirts of towns and cities. The open-air screenings provided social gathering places that are nostalgically remembered by those who grew up with them or who took a carload of kids for an affordable summer evening. In the late 1950s there were more than 200 drive-ins in North Carolina, but fewer than 10 survive. Wilkes County had three, all now closed. Elizabeth Matheson’s image suggests a mood of quiet, lonely emptiness, but the grid of white car-speaker posts brings to mind a lively shared experience. The only “projection” remaining for her camera to observe is the shadow of North Wilkesboro’s tree-covered hills on the screen.