Artist Interview with Cory McKague: PLACE: What is Now and What it Was
Spring 2025 Artist-in-Residence at Travelers’ Rest State Park
Cory McKague, 2025 Artist-in-Residence at Travelers’ Rest State Park
Describe your Open AIR Residency experience. For example, how did you spend your time, construct your space, or engage with the community?
I am a digital artist, so I don’t need much space, but it is always interesting adapting to a new studio environment.
To begin my research of Travelers’ Rest State Park, I took a lot of time walking the trail, taking photos, and researching the stories of the area. In some ways, the state park is a bit isolated, but there always seemed to be some sort of event going on with large groups coming through – mostly school tours. Kids tend to get excited about video games, so it was fun getting to show them some of the stuff and let them play-test the work in progress.
Students on a field trip test out Cory’s game.
How did the residency influence or change your artistic direction? Can you share how the residency connected to your ongoing practice or opened new avenues for exploration?
It was nice having a site that had some strong historic context. It allowed me to dive deep into the story of Lewis and Clark and Travelers’ Rest. It has influenced another project that will hopefully be released early next year. It is always a challenge to represent history where there are plethora of different stories and perspectives to represent.
On another note – and this might relate to the previous question – but I didn’t realize that I would have a studio mate, which was a pleasantly new experience for me. The Open AIR experience, in general, was unique in that it had a cohort. As an artist, I consider myself an eccentric introvert for the most part, but it was nice to connect with others along the journey as well.
Between studying the history of the area, Cory studied the textures of the site to render his game’s graphics
What are you reading/watching/or listening to?
I have an eclectic range of interests. I will dip into a sci-fi or fantasy book from time to time, but mostly I am reading for research. I just finished The Well-Read Game, and it took me down some rabbit holes of books that inspired it. I am also researching and reading some books for my next project, but I must be vague because I have not been authorized to release information quite yet… stay tuned.
The virtual scene of Cory’s game, “Lewis and Clark: Travelers’ Rest”, replicates the site and imagines the experience. The OTHERWISE exhibition is up until Feb 27.
What role does place (both in terms of physical space and community) play in your work, especially during your time at Open AIR?
I am a teacher, so community is a huge part of what I do. This is like being a game developer in that games are mostly about teaching. I like the argument that all art is interactive; I just focus on it more in creating games.
As far as physical space goes, I think it's two-fold. First, when in residence, I walked the space of Travelers’ Rest, to recreate a past version of it in virtual reality, I really must think about the space now. Understanding what it is now, to figure out what it was historically. Then, as I create the experience, I think about how people will be moving through the space - and place.
Lewis and Clark discuss their journey around a fire pit at Travelers’ Rest
How have your material choices changed over the years?
I like working in emerging technology because it’s always changing. Every few months or so, I must learn or adapt to keep up with the pace of tech. For me, this is what keeps art exciting. This is what makes something art. From my perspective, art has always been about challenging the status quo, offering new perspectives, or changing the way we think and act.
Gallery visitors enjoy Cory’s VR piece at Bob’s Your Uncle. Join us for the Closing Reception on Fri, Feb 27. Check here for gallery hours.
This interview has been edited slightly for clarity.
Visit These Links to Find Out More About Cory
Cory’s Open AIR Artist Presentation
Cory’s Website
