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 as experience and inclusion in these histories. Nostalgia often clouds tourist perspectives, creating complicity in continuing flawed narratives.
While the legends of the Great Plains are rooted in truth, the stories grow to overshadow some grim truths of Midwestern history. The stories perpetuate colonial ideals that shape narratives. The images highlight aspects of truth within the idyll. Images inform our histories and it is our responsibility to find the truth amongst the myths. With awareness of this history, the authenticity of these spaces as well as their interpretations are put into question.
