WASHINGTON -- Nebraska, and the nation, had their eyes on a Nebraska legend Wednesday morning.

A bronze statue of author and Nebraska native Willa Cather was unveiled at the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, Represenatives Adrian Smith, Don Bacon and Mike Flood, and U.S. Senators Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts were among those in attendance as the statue of Cather was unveiled.

Cather’s statue joins Chief Standing Bear as Nebraska’s two honorees in the Capitol.

Two years ago, Nebraska state senators voted to replace William Jennings Bryan and J. Sterling Morton as Nebraska’s representatives.

Cather is the 12th woman recognized in the collection of statues.

Littleton Alston, who created the statue, became the first African-American artist to have a piece unveiled at Statuary Hall.

Alston is an art professor at Creighton University.

Pillen, while addressing the crowd, read some of his favorite Cather quotes.

“Where there is great love, there are always miracles,” Pillen read.

Cather lived nearly 40 years with her partner, Edith Lewis.

She is widely regarded for her novels detailing life on the Great Plains, including O Pioneers!, The Song of the Lark, and My Antonia.

"Willa Cather's formative years in Red Cloud, Nebraska, introduced her to the Plains and those who made them their home," Smith said. "A number of her works feature honest and rich re-tellings of the challenges faced by Nebraskans and our intimate relationship to the land."

Cather was was born in 1873 and died of breast cancer at the age of 73.

This year is the 150th anniversary of Cather’s birth.

Celebratory festivities took place in her hometown of Red Cloud all last month, wrapping up with the annual spring Cather Conference at her home, which was renovated in the year leading up to her momentous birthday.

In addition to Wednesday's celebration in Washington, watch parties were held in Red Cloud and Lincoln.

NOTE: Above video does not have sound.