Terry Plater believes being successful as an artist isn't merely a matter of accomplishment, but "a lifelong goal."

"All of the things I have studied, all the work I do feeds my spirit (and my art), in addition to giving me the opportunity to make a contribution in other ways," says Plater, associate dean for academic affairs at Cornell University's Graduate School. She says she was struck recently by a speech by Syracuse University President Nancy Cantor that noted that "one of the values of making art, for students especially, is that it both frees and disciplines at the same time. I like that."

Plater will show her original artwork in "A Sense of Place," a solo exhibition Feb. 13 to 24 in Cornell's Willard Straight Hall Art Gallery. A public opening reception takes place Feb. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The art gallery is coordinated by students serving on the Willard Straight Hall Program Board and hosts exhibitions by a variety of Cornell and local artists. "I found Terry Plater's work through the Ithaca Art Trail and, upon seeing only a couple samples, was impressed by her ability to adventurously explore a wide range of both subjects and artistic mediums," says gallery manager Elisheva Jenny Yun '08, an art history and Near Eastern studies major.

Although Plater is primarily a painter, the show also includes photographs "as images in their own right or as places of departure for paintings in the show," she says. Plater, who was an assistant professor of city and regional planning prior to her deanship, says photographs sometimes help her document landscape studies and other subjects for paintings, and she has used "photos of people in places -- showing how people use space or affect space by their presence" in teaching architecture.

Since Plater's work is largely traditional and representational, she says, "One of my challenges is to make sure that my work is in conversation with contemporary art. I seek to make a statement that looks at equity and aesthetics -- I need both in my life."

"Lately I'm learning to use photos or other sources, such as passages from books, as points of departure for interpretive pieces. I feel I'm too dependent on needing to paint what I see -- or see what I paint -- and I want to challenge myself to move away from that and add different skills to my repertoire."

Her other activities are in the service of art -- playing piano, attending artist workshops, visiting museums and reading about art and artists. She says her favorite recent read is "Art and Fear" by David Bayles and Ted Orlando. "Whatever it is that you are trying to do -- even things unrelated to art -- this book will inform and encourage you in unexpected ways," she says.

Plater also has a keen interest in collaboration, particularly between Cornell and the community. She serves on the city of Ithaca's Public Art Commission, and she says a number of Cornell people have been innovators on the local art scene.

"People who make art, whether as painters, dancers, musicians or writers, need to work in the community at some point," she says. "There are very fruitful possibilities for working across boundaries in Ithaca. We would love to see more student work exhibited at galleries in town and see more interaction and sharing of resources and facilities."

While her work at the grad school is "extremely rewarding in many ways," Plater says she uses her limited free time to paint.

"Many people in the grad school do something creative -- quilting, fabric arts, crafts -- and students somehow appreciate this. They benefit from seeing us in three dimensions," she says. "I tell students that, in a way, each one of us has something we do that grounds and steadies, that inspires us ... some activity or area of our lives in which we function seamlessly. For me that is painting. I find that if you root yourself in that place, that if you work from that place, the sense of rightness that you experience carries over into other areas of your life."

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and admission is free.