National Fitness Campaign recently interviewed featured artist Remy Glock. In this Q&A, you'll hear how the fourth generation Nevadan couldn't pass up the opportunity to merge her two passions: art and fitness with two of her core values: inclusivity and accessibility. Cover photo courtesy of Eighty 8 Studios.

‍1. We see you were born and raised in Reno. Describe your passion for the city you call home and why it’s such a special place to you.

Yes, I’m a fourth generation Nevadan and Reno is where my mom raised me until I transferred out of state for college. After 15 years, it was time to relocate back home and I wanted to spend more time with my mom, the rest of my family and close friends. It’s a special big little city because it’s where I learned to ski, hike and swim, play softball and other sports, along with marathon running. All of the people I met along the way — my coaches, academically driven friends, career advisors, speech therapists and inspiring art teachers have provided such encouragement that has molded the individual that I am today. The 360º mountain views are pretty hard to beat, it’s a unique recreational environment and I grew up rich in love. 

‍2. What was the moment where you knew you were called to be an artist?

I had a lot of speech therapy and listening practice at the age of 2, this exposed me to a lot of daily structured exercises and materials — including some artistic linguistics. My mom said that I held a crayon like an adult at a very young age before grade school began and I never colored outside of the lines. In elementary school I entered a lot of art contests like a bookmark design, pumpkin design, a poster for the Nevada Humane Society, class yearbook covers, etc. I do specifically remember my mom buying this drawing book on how to draw horses, which I still have… I may have been four at the time, I just fell in love with the process of sketching and expressing on paper. 

‍3. On your website you describe yourself as profoundly deaf, can you share how that has shaped who you are today?

I was born deaf with an unknown cause. My mom chose the path of oralism as she thought it was the best method for me given how limited resources were back in the 80’s. She met another family in the Reno area who had a deaf child and they put her in touch with connections to start language acquisition immediately. Because of her motivation, I started school very young to be able to keep up with peers by Kindergarten. The daily speech and listening therapy I had, shaped me to be the hard worker that I am — using my heightened visual senses to piece together spoken information and body cues to engage in communication. Being deaf has also given me stronger intuition abilities, being more sensitive to perception and being highly visual. 

‍4. How did you hear about the National Fitness Campaign initially? How did you become involved in this project?

I am part of the Sierra Arts Foundation’s email newsletter and they sent out a call for mural artists in February of 2023. The given deadline was only 3 weeks and I wasn’t too sure if I’d be able to concept and ideate in time with a full time job, family commitments and weekend skiing. Because it’s a community driven public art piece and with my athletic and artistic background, I couldn’t pass up a rare opportunity like this. I had just relocated from Chicago back to Reno and this was a foot in the door to re-engage with the Reno community. I strive to contribute towards projects that focus on accessibility and inclusiveness. I loved everything the National Fitness Campaign stood for.

‍‍‍5. What inspired your artwork for both the Rancho San Rafael and South Valleys Fitness Courts?

The art inspiration comes from my design background and typographic expressions, I’m always finding ways to create pieces with a different style to constantly evolve. For these Fitness Court murals specifically, the four lettered word for the Biggest Little City in the World, R-E-N-O prompted me to fit those characters in my sketching process. From there, I had shape containers to fill in with illustrative storytelling that best represents each of the artwork locations. Rancho San Rafael includes hot air balloons as a nod to the annual Great Reno Balloon Race held in that exact location along with floral references to the botanic garden, the Truckee River, Tahoe and gaming dice. The South Valleys mural is more distinctive to the neighboring Mount Rose highway, fishing at Galena, Nevada mountain bluebird, and soccer, baseball fields surrounding the Fitness Court. Each mural shares cyan and yellow color values and differs by purple and green to live in the same artistic world. 

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‍6. How does outdoor fitness and public art intersect? Can you share some of the benefits you are excited to see the community experience? 

Reno is already a very outdoorsy, recreation driven community and many people who walk or run will be able to enhance their well being and fitness regimen by adding these component offerings to their workouts. The fact it’s so accessible and inclusive, parallel paths with the types of art projects I like to take on and give back to the community — this is where it all started for me. Growing up as an athlete since the age of 3 and being an artistic individual merges two core aspects of important values in my life and to see it coming to life is really humbling. I hope the community finds it aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable to use the Fitness Courts any time of the day to help with finding a moment to take care of mental health and physical wellness no matter what your background is or your financial status. Everyone is welcome and included. 

‍7. What is your favorite thing about the Fitness Court?  

Everything! Mainly the fact it’s an outdoor gym and Reno offers a lot of sunshine year around and I’d take any day to be outside over long hours inside. I like that you can progress from one station to another without getting bored. The Fitness Court app is super helpful to access workout options and see video references by NFC fitness instructors. I love the push area, it gives me upper body challenges that I don’t get at home or in fitness classes. It’s great for highly motivated individuals or groups and it’s welcoming — never too late to start your goals. 

‍‍‍8. Fun question for you – who has better pizza, Chicago or New York?

Sorry Chicago folks, I never really got into the deep dish thing. The NY slices are great for on the go. The thin crust and sturdy deliciousness is a winner.  

‍9. Any final thoughts you’d like to share with us?

I would like to thank everyone who made this project possible. Renown, Washoe County, National Fitness Campaign, Sierra Arts Foundation, Eighty 8 Studios, my supportive family and friends. You’re all the best. Now get out there and use the Fitness Courts! 

‍To learn more about the partnership with National Fitness Campaign and Remy Glock, visit her website.

To learn more about National Fitness Campaign's public art series, including our featured artist series, visit our public art and fitness page.‍