Spirit Memory by Beverly Price explores the intersection of past and present through layered photographs spanning from 1877 to 2024. By blending archival images with her contemporary photography taken in Barry Farms, Price creates a visual dialogue between eras, highlighting shifts, continuities, and the passage of time. Elements from different periods emerge and recede in a poetic rhythm—a conversation between memories. Each layered image is printed on acrylic and mounted on a copper dibond backing, honoring the Indigenous and African American communities who once flourished on this land.

Beyond the psychological concept of memory, Spirit Memory taps into a deeper generational memory—a memory embedded in the earth, the spirit, and the subtle, ephemeral layers of ancestral connection. The work reveals that “spirit memory” is as accessible as the air we breathe and the soil beneath us.

Price’s journey in photography began with a vivid dream in 2016: four young Black boys with royal blue eyes emerged from the ground in Barry Farms, handed her a camera, and then returned to the earth. Since that moment, she has committed herself to documenting Barry Farms’ transformations, capturing its spirit and resilience. Spirit Memory is the culmination of this ongoing effort, reflecting the community’s evolution and honoring its roots.