Wish You Were Here

The Great Plains of the Midwest are known for their uninterrupted landscape, save for the tourist destinations for roadtrippers making their way West. Although referred to as ‘flyover country,’ this region is full of tourist destinations for the road-trippers making their way out West. Wish You Were Here examines the ways the Great Plains region is romanticized using legends, folklore, and histories. This history is often commodified through roadside attractions where tourists participate in rituals, like photo-ops or buying souvenirs, as experience and inclusion in these histories. The nostalgia of these rituals often clouds tourist perspectives, creating complicity in continuing flawed narratives. While the legends of the Great Plains are usually rooted in truth, from the infamous Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show to the spirits of the Badlands, the stories grow to overshadow the grim reality of Midwestern history. These stories become a sense of pride and comfort for the local population, who use iconography to perpetuate colonial ideals such as manifest destiny and the Wild West. The romance and sentimental history of the region conceals casualties, erasure of culture, and environmental loss. These ideologies shape historic and contemporary narratives. The images in this series reveal the reality of these nostalgic spaces. Roadside attractions allow tourists to interact with history on a superficial level rather than engaging with discourse. These places are full of the picturesque and artificial, accentuating a levity within these stories. Rather than the quintessential postcard we send with a message of, “wish you were here!”, these images highlight aspects of truth within the idyll, including concealed histories, tourist engagement, surrounding infrastructure, and pastoral nature. Images have the power to inform our histories and it is our responsibility to find the truth in the myth. Today’s contentious social and political environment is a product of the perpetuation of these myths. With awareness of this history, the authenticity of these spaces as well as their interpretations are put into question. We must dismantle these continued ideals and bring awareness to overlooked narratives through our actions and revisions.