Nancy Kembry was born and raised in Vancouver. She moved to Toronto and completed a BFA at York University. Upon graduation she set up her studio and at the same time she volunteered at various artist-run spaces such as Art Metropole and Mercer Union. Eventually Kembry became a board member of Mercer Union and curated several exhibitions. Soon thereafter she started showing her work at several different artist-run centres, then at commercial galleries in the Greater Toronto Area. From there Kembry's work was soon purchased for corporate and private collections in Canada, United States, and Europe. She been the recipient of several grants and awards. Her work has been featured in major newspapers and magazines across Canada and internationally.