Nancy Rourke is a renowned Deaf artist, muralist, and activist who has gained international recognition. She was born deaf, and her parents were not aware of her condition until she was six years old. Nancy is an enrolled member of the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians in the Kumeyaay Nation, located in San Diego County.

She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in graphic design and painting from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Over her career, Nancy has showcased her work in solo and group exhibitions across various countries, including England, France, Russia, Canada, South Africa, and the United States. Notably, three of her large-scale paintings are part of the collection at the Silesian Museum in Katowice, Poland. She was involved in the Guggenheim Museum painting a picture for the Deaf Poets in 2024.

Nancy discovered her artistic purpose after engaging with the De’VIA movement around 2010. De’VIA, which stands for Deaf View/Image Art, encompasses artwork that reflects the experiences of Deaf individuals from a cultural, linguistic, and intersectional perspective; the term was coined in 1989. To date, she has created over 47 murals in public spaces and Deaf schools across the country. She was honored with a Ford Foundation Fellowship in 2024. Currently, Nancy resides in Colorado.