2020
The 11 by 14 inch artwork, “2020”, is from a “24-day advent calendar” that I purchased for $4.43, and carefully peeled off the outside and inside bases and primed them. I added four more doors and carefully cut the doors and left them closed. Each door is from one to two inch size. I painted tiny pictures, using Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI watercolour, a water brush pen and a MANGAKA 01 ink pen. The artwork was from the annual De’VIA February Challenge that has been going on since 2014, and each day an artist would share an artwork on De’VIA Central Facebook. The theme was about a deaf life experience during the pandemic, using a chart with a list of events, names, places and so on, that an artist can choose from. An example would be this- Day 21, I chose Dinner Table Syndrome. This is the first artwork on “dinner table syndrome” I have painted about, and the image is very small and hard to illustrate and paint on the inside base. The image showed, my family apologizing to me, in 2020, after I asked questions about our Native American ancestors. I remember vividly how frustrated I was at the table, asking my family to tell me what was about, and they told me to, "wait, I will tell you later, not now" and so on. In the picture, shows a person sitting at the left corner with question marks above the head which happened to be me when I was ten years old, not understanding what my family were talking about. In the image, there is a group of our ancestors in their sacred regalias and headdresses behind. That was my vision of what they were discussing about and I looked back and learned just how much have I lost all of the stories they were talking about our ancestors. I completed all 28 images and applied rubber cement on both the outside and inside bases. Then I carefully attached them together. After that, I forgot what the images were, inside the doors until I opened its first door on February 1st. I have a blog https://febchallenge.wordpress.com that tells a story behind each door. My name is Nancy Rourke, and I am a Deaf artist, using De’VIA movement since 2009. I am from San Diego, California, and am an enrolled member of Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians in the Kumeyaay Nation. I reside in Loveland, Colorado.
Nancy Rourke
2021
The Joinery
Against a blue background, this painting shows houses stacked on top of each other. The painting is very colorful.
Paul Johnson
He/Him/His
2009
Huntleya Fasciata
A botanical drawing of the different anatomy of a Huntleya Fasciata. Featuring the stems and blossoms.
Regina Hughes
She/Her/Hers
c. 1980
Illustration by Regina Olson Hughes, courtesy of Smithsonian Institution
The RIT/NTID Dyer Arts Center retained reproduction rights from the Smithsonian Institution on August 30, 2020
Dendrobium Stuposum
A botanical drawing of the different anatomy of a Dendrobium Stuposum . Featuring the stems and blossoms.
Regina Hughes
She/Her/Hers
c. 1980
Illustration by Regina Olson Hughes, courtesy of Smithsonian Institution
The RIT/NTID Dyer Arts Center retained reproduction rights from the Smithsonian Institution on August 30, 2020
Encyclia Sp.
A botanical drawing of the different anatomy of a Encyclia Sp. Featuring the stems, blossoms, and seeds.
Regina Hughes
She/Her/Hers
c. 1980
Illustration by Regina Olson Hughes, courtesy of Smithsonian Institution.
The RIT/NTID Dyer Arts Center retained reproduction rights from the Smithsonian Institution on August 30, 2020
Lockhartia Affinis Var. Oerstedii
A botanical drawing of the different anatomy of a Lockhartia affins var. oerstedii. Featuring the stems, blossoms, and seeds.
Regina Hughes
She/Her/Hers
c. 1980
Illustration by Regina Olson Hughes, courtesy of Smithsonian Institution.
The RIT/NTID Dyer Arts Center retained reproduction rights from the Smithsonian Institution on August 30, 2020
Vanda Coerulescens
A botanical drawing of the different anatomy of a Vanda Coerulescens . Featuring the stems and blossoms.
Regina Hughes
She/Her/Hers
c. 1985
Illustration by Regina Olson Hughes, courtesy of Smithsonian Institution.
The RIT/NTID Dyer Arts Center retained reproduction rights from the Smithsonian Institution on August 30, 2020
Yellow Chrysanthemum
There is a yellow chrysanthemum standing out in the image with a bug crawling on a green stem.
Wai Pong Ng
n.d.
From the permanent collection of the RIT/NTID Dyer Arts Center
Drawing of Peony
There is a big pink peony standing out in the paint with another little pink peony that is not blossomed yet. There are Chinese words on the right side.
Wei Wei Sun
2005
From the permanent collection of the RIT/NTID Dyer Arts Center