MAYA LIN
WOMEN IN DESIGN / MAYA LIN
Portrait of Maya Lin / Photograph by Jesse Frohman
Maya Lin is an Asian American artist, designer, architect, and environmentalist known for her innovative and thought-provoking works of environmental artworks, architecture, and memorial designs.
Born in 1959 in Athens, Ohio, Lin grew up in a creative family where both her parents were artists and intellectuals. She was encouraged from an early age to explore her artistic side, and by the age of six, she was already drawing and painting.
Maya Lin (1988) / Photography by Adam Stoltman
She attended Yale University, studying architecture and sculpture. While at Yale, she entered a national design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. where her design was chosen from over 1,400 anonymous submissions — her work has since become one of the most famous memorials in the United States. The memorial consists of a black granite wall inscribed with the names of the 58,191 soldiers who died during the Vietnam War. The wall is sunken into the ground, creating a powerful emotional impact on visitors.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was controversial when it was first unveiled, as some veterans and politicians objected to its minimalist design. However, over time, it has become widely celebrated for its powerful simplicity and its ability to evoke a sense of loss and grief.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982) / Photography by Mark Segal
Lin's success with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial catapulted her career as an artist and architect. She has gone on to design numerous other memorials, including the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Women's Table at Yale University. Her work often focuses on issues of memory, history, and the natural environment.
Civil Rights Memorial (1989) / Photography by Balthazar Korab
Civil Rights Memorial (1989) / Photography by Balthazar Korab
In addition to her work as an artist and architect, Lin is also a professor at Yale University, where she teaches architecture and art. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including the National Medal of Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Design Mind Award from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.
Eleven Minute Line (2004) / Photography by Anders Norsell, courtesy Wanås Foundation
Her work has been described as both minimalist and poetic; known for her ability to create powerful emotional experiences through her use of simple forms and materials. She has said that she is interested in creating art and architecture that helps people connect with their environment and with each other. In her book Boundaries, she writes “I see myself existing between boundaries, a place where opposites meet; science and art, art and architecture, East and West. My work originates from a simple desire to make people aware of their surroundings.”
MORE WORK BY MAYA LIN
Riggio-Lynch Interfaith Chapel (2004) Haley Farm, Clinton, Tennessee / Photographed by Timothy Hursley
Private Residence, New York (2001)
/ Photographed by Eduard Hueber
Seven Earth Mountain (2015) Pier 94, New York / Photography by Maya Lin Studio
Seven Earth Mountain (2015) Pier 94, New York / Photography by Maya Lin Studio