Allentown, PA

Gregory Coates

Coates’ work is made of found material – rubber bicycle inntertubes and pallets found on the street.  Coates believes there is beauty to be found in everyday material and he likes to manipulate the material into a “second” life of beauty.  Having spent some time in South Africa where virtually everything is scavenged, used, and reapplied by everyone (both artists and non-artists), it is apparent to Coates that sustainability through material reuse should be equally important to us in America.  Coates appreciates and respects the humbleness in which his fellow African artists treat simple material with real reverence and took particular note of that when creating Four Times Three Equals One (Philadelphia Variation) for the Pennsylvania Convention Center.