Born in London, England, but raised in Evanston, Illinois, Mary F. Coats is currently based in Lubbock, Texas. She received an M.F.A from the University of Iowa in 2013 where she was awarded the Mildred Pelzer Lynch Fellowship in Painting. Recent exhibitions include Moments Like This at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, IL, Under, Over, and Within at Studios on Sheridan in Peoria, IL, Familiar Spirits at the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington, IL, Funkytown at Urbano Cellars in Berkeley, CA, and Retrieval of the Beautiful at The Painting Center in New York, NY. Coats has taught at the University of Iowa, Grinnell College, and Kirkwood Community College.