Lenard
Portrait with Heidi Gutman
Description: A dark-skinned teen is in the savannah walking with a pride of lions. He wears safari clothing and a backpack. The lions walk ahead as he and a male lion look back at the camera.
Portrait with Zachary Maxwell Stertz
“I like to play the game, and read. I like to read Harry Potter, and I care about animals. When I was growing up, I always cared about animals. When I was younger there was this one pitbull from the neighborhood that I took care of. I wasn’t allowed to keep taking care of it, and it ended up dying. That affected me.
I’m passionate about saving animals - give them shelter when they don’t have it. If they have a bruise, fix them up until they better and then let them go. Humpback whales, dogs, sharks, leopards, sea lions - my goal is to be an animal savior. The mark I want to leave on the world is to let animals live free.
I imagine I am accepted by them - a part of their family. With these lions, I imagine I am rescuing them, protecting them, but also that I am a part of their group.
People would describe me as kind, loyal and sometimes mean. I don’t like authority. When I’m in the wrong mood, I’m not going to listen to nobody. When I am angry or upset, I go in my room with my dog where I can be myself. And music helps me express my feelings, and what I’ve been through deep down inside.
I would describe myself as a kind, truthful and useful person.”
Milwaukee, 2019