Oates has B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design and M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a Fulbright Fellow for study at Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland.Oates has had numerous solo shows on the NYC area at venues including the NYC MTA Lightbox Project at 42nd Street, Susan Eley Fine Art, The Central Park Arsenal Gallery,The Center for Book Arts, Sara Nightingale Gallery, The Brooklyn Public Library and nationally at Real Art Ways, CT,Tomasulo Gallery,NJ and in Chicago at Women Made Gallery, Artemisia Gallery and Anchor Graphics.Oates has been part of group shows in NYC at The Pen and Brush Gallery, Peer Gallery, 440 Gallery, Metaphor Contemporary Art, NYOC Gallery, Pierogi Gallery, Nurture Art, Momenta Art, Associated Gallery, Susan Eley Fine Art and Denise Bibro Fine Art.