Auburn woman presents painting to Gov. Pillen
LINCOLN, Neb. -- It was around 11:00 a.m. on Monday when Gov. Jim Pillen was presented a painting by local artist Nita Whitney of Auburn.
This art piece was done in response to Gov. Pillen’s inauguration, as it is titled: ‘A New Dawn, A New Day’.
“The inspiration for this painting came from a flyer I saw,” Whitney said. "It flashed across Gov. Pillen's website talking about opportunities for the future. His values match with my husband and mine, and I was inspired.”
Whitney was surrounded by friends and family while the paintings were being presented. This included a special member of the audience.
“I have a daughter with cognitive delays,” she said. “In this day in time, I may have been told by doctors to abort and I am very glad that I never did that.”
Beckie Orsack, Whitney's daughter, has cognitive delays. She was able to make the trip up from her group home in Tarkio, Missouri; to watch her mom receive a high honor for her artwork.
“This is my first time meeting him [the governor],” said Orsack. “We get to spend the day with him.”
Overall, a fantastic day for this family as their artwork will be displayed, for the Nebraska eye to see.
“I felt like it represented Nebraska; a new dawn, a new day, a new governor,” Nita said.
From News Channel Nebraska, I am Andrew Pfeifer, reporting.