I met Gregory Coates and his wife Ki Ki years ago when I had just opened up a small office in the Hamilton Business Center and helped found a company called BLURB MEDIA. Greg and I would bump into each other at a community gathering known as the CHEN ARTS GROUP and have long discussions after the meeting about the importance of Art in a city and community. I learned he was a world renowned artist who actually has had drinks named after him in Europe, and his wife Ki Ki is a very well known art curator. We became good friends and we collaborated on some projects together. The most memorable one was when The Allentown Art Museum had a Black History exhibit and many of the surrounding families/residents could not afford the admission fee. (People may find this ludicrous but when you have to choose between rent and admission fees, we all know what wins out) Greg heard my story about it being a shame that the urban youth would not be exposed to art due to lack of funds (no one knew about free admission Sundays at this time) and he graciously came into my office space and set up a mini-art showing with pieces from his own private collection, which included art from Hip Hop icon Russell Simmon's older brother, Daniel Simmons Jr., who is an abstract expressionist painter, as well as other paintings from around the world. He even left one of his pieces that people loved. (It was dubbed, unofficially, the Tire) We presented the art at the grand opening of the BLURB MEDIA offices and it was phenomenal. Every day, people came and looked at the art and I can't help but think that their minds were expanded and thoughts evoked due to the generosity of Greg.
