Copenhaver Scholar-in-Residence draws on art, history to honor forgotten voices

For Clover Archer, big questions about how we're remembered, what shapes our legacies, and who gets immortalized versus who gets forgotten aren’t just existential notions — they’re the inspiration driving her art.  

Part creator and part detective, Archer doesn’t just study the past, she digs into it to uncover the hidden stories and faded imprints that people leave behind.  

“I fully believe that all lives are interesting,” Archer said. “Everyone has a story, and everyone's story is interesting.” 

That's what made the multifaceted artist a perfect fit for a unique exhibit created to align with the Center for Studying Structures of Race’s annual theme: Forget Me Not. 

The project, co-sponsored by Olin Hall Galleries, builds on research conducted by CSSR students to tell the story of the Rev. Peyton Lewis, who was born into slavery in the Roanoke Valley. Age 16 at the end of the Civil War, he’d go on to pursue his education and become a community leader, described by his stepson as the most Christ-like person he’d ever met. 

Toward the end of his life, Rev. Lewis exchanged letters with the descendants of the families who had enslaved his family, a rare record of reflections from that era. 

But the reverend’s story is among those that would have otherwise faded into obscurity if not for the efforts of historians, archivists and student researchers. CSSR students devoted years to researching local records to create the first, comprehensive accounting of the names of people who were enslaved in the Roanoke Valley. They’re now in the process of creating a free database to make that information available to the public.  

RELATED: CSSR receives grant for student research programs 

RELATED: Students contribute to the Genealogy of Slavery project 

Archer was selected as a Copenhaver Scholar-in-Residence, a program that brings visiting scholars and artists to campus, and tasked with designing an exhibit that would amplify CSSR’s research, engage the community and encourage viewers to reflect on how extraordinary historical events and ordinary, everyday routines can weave together through a person’s life. 

“Clover brought a deep expertise and diverse creative practice to this project,” said Talia Logan, director of Olin Hall Galleries. “Her own archive project for the Institute for Clew Studies, which she founded in 2018, is dedicated to in-depth research into the often-overlooked moments of everyday life — those small, ordinary events that time tends to erase from memory.  

“Given that focus, I knew that a collaboration between the CSSR and Archer would be a natural and valuable partnership.” 

The exhibit by artist Clover Archer (pictured above) can be viewed by appointment by contacting Olin Hall Galleries.

Collaborating with students and faculty, Archer chose Rev. Lewis as the focus of her project and spent six months compiling a fuller look at his life across multiple states, including Virginia, North Carolina and Iowa, where he died at the age of 85. 

Her final exhibit — on display in the former slave quarters building that Roanoke College purchased in 2002 and restored for educational use — guides visitors through a timeline of the reverend’s life overlaid with key historical dates and invites them to view copies of documents and photos discovered in Archer’s research.  

It also immerses them in the words of the reverend himself, with passages from his letters painstakingly hand-copied onto the walls by Archer. The faint etchings, like whispers from the past, pull people in to examine the words closely. 

“It's his voice, his actual voice,” Archer said. “It's relatively uncommon to find firsthand memories of enslaved people, because they were not well documented at all. They’re often left out of the archives.” 

By blending historical research and artistic creation, the project embodies Roanoke College’s commitment to encouraging students to explore questions from multiple disciplines and perspectives. 

History major Paige Viar ’27, an art gallery assistant at Olin Hall, had the opportunity to work on the catalogues for Archer’s exhibit as well as parallel exhibits examining our relationship with history by artists Sandy Williams IV and Johnny Floyd. 

Together, she said she felt the installations inspired viewers to examine the past with new eyes, deepening our understanding of the world around us. 

“It unpeels another layer of things,” Viar said. “When you can look at the work with an understanding of its meaning and its history, it’s revitalizing. These were real people and real events.” 

The exhibit on Rev. Lewis is available for viewing by appointment. Contact Olin Hall Galleries Director Talia Logan at mlogan@roanoke.edu or 540-375-2332 to schedule a visit.  

To keep up with Archer’s future projects, follow her on Instagram or visit her website, cloverarcher.com.