Maya Lin
Maya Lin is an American architect and sculptor best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Maya Ying Lin
Architect
October 5, 1959
Libra
65
Athens, Ohio
Born on October 5, 1959, Maya Lin is a renowned American architect, artist, and designer. She rose to prominence in 1981 when, at just 21 years old and still an undergraduate at Yale University, she won a national design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. This polished black granite wall, inscribed with the names of 58,307 American soldiers who died during the Vietnam War, remains her most famous and influential work.
In addition to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lin has designed several other notable works, such as the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, which honors the martyrs of the civil rights movement. She has also been involved in the Confluence Project along the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest, an initiative that aims to create a series of environmental and historical artworks.
Lin’s accomplishments extend beyond architecture, as evidenced by her receipt of the National Medal of Arts in 2009 for her contributions to the arts. Her work often examines the relationship between natural forms and the built environment, integrating elements of nature into her designs.
Overall, Maya Lin has made a significant impact as an artist and architect, with her Vietnam Veterans Memorial standing as her most renowned and influential creation.