Lilli Hart was met with skepticism and laughs when she told coaches, friends, and teammates she was taking a break from volleyball. Their expressions turned to shock when Hart was nowhere to be found at the start of the club season.
All the while, Hart, a senior at Vanguard, was on the other side of town in her mother’s flower-shop-turned-art-studio.
Hart traded one love for another, diving headfirst into a budding art career.
This isn’t a new fad for Hart. Throughout middle school, Hart created with markers and pens exclusively l until her freshman art teacher, Mrs. Strigle, encouraged her to try another medium: paint. Since then, she’s set up an easel in her room — instantly creating an obstacle course from her latest artistic endeavor.
However, few of her creations made it out of those four walls until Vanguard administrator and coach Jarrod Rabold and his wife encouraged her to enter an art show.
Hart knew it would open the door for criticism, but she had a desire to explore how far her art could take her and in April of 2023 hosted her first art show, with the help of an artistic friend who also pushed her to showcase her talent. Stigler and Rabold were both there to welcome her.