At UPL, we believe that displaying art enhances the library experience for our patrons, staff, and volunteers. When we see art in our community spaces, we’re inspired to engage with it and make art of our own. We seek to exhibit the work of diverse voices that reflect the communities in which we live.

Currently Showing

Terry Plater | Art + Memory

July-August 2025

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am an American artist whose work speaks to stories -- singular stories as well as shared histories. I am a Black American painter drawn to subjects defined by questions of equity as well as ideas of beauty. My upbringing in a family which, while solidly middle class, is only three generations removed from slavery continues to influence the subjects and themes of interest to me. My current project: "A Genealogy of Memory and Imagination" draws on an archive of family photos. The subjects are three generations of people who lived between 1870 and 1950 in Washington DC where they experienced the aftermath of slavery, segregation, and the quest for civil rights. The subject of the work is memory and imagination and the ability of painting and drawing to render both.

BIOGRAPHY

A professional artist focused on figure, portrait, landscape, and narrative painting, Terry Plater was born and raised in Philadelphia PA to an architect and an educator.  Widely travelled, she earned graduate degrees in Architecture (M. Arch) and City and Regional Planning (Ph.D., in international development) and enjoyed a 25+ years career in higher education before pursuing an MFA at the New York Academy of Art. Her work centers on questions of equity and aesthetics, continually asking the viewer if and how the two conditions can coexist.

ARTIST RECEPTION

Please join us for a reception welcoming and celebrating Terry Plater, Saturday July 26 10:30 am - 12:30 pm, followed by an artist talk at 12:30 pm. All are welcome.