Quinn Portrait Unveiled

By Nick Gale, WLS-AM 890 News

Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn unveiled his official portrait at a ceremony Monday in the Illinois State Capitol.

“As we look at all these portraits of men who were elected to lead the State of Illinois, it’s important to remember all the women and men whose votes brought them into office,” Quinn said during the unveiling ceremony. “With this latest portrait, we hope to remind visitors that, in a democracy, the highest office is the office of citizen, and that all of us have a responsibility to participate in our government.”

The portrait, painted by Illinois artist William T. Chambers, depicts Quinn standing before a background that features 44 interactive “found items” representing people, issues, and events from Governor Quinn’s long career in public service.

Most notably, the background includes a photograph of Quinn signing a bill that put an advisory referendum on the November 2014 ballot, asking voters whether the state’s minimum wage should be increased.

“When people look at this portrait, we want to remind them that every person in the Land of Lincoln has the right to stand up, speak out, and start taking action to improve our government and change the world,” Quinn said.

A few of the “found items” in the portrait are deeply personal, such as the wedding day photograph of his parents, Eileen and Patrick J. Quinn, and photographs of his brothers, Tom and John, and his sons, Patrick and David.

But the majority of items relate to Quinn’s achievements in public life.

In addition to unveiling the formal portrait, Quinn also announced the creation of the GovernorQuinnPortrait.org website. By clicking on the found items in a high-resolution digital image of the portrait, website visitors can follow links to historical documents, videos, and other information about the issues the items represent.

Quinn chose to personally raise the money for the framed painting and the website. He is donating the portrait to the State of Illinois.