Maya Lin
Maya Ying Lin (born October 5, 1959) is an American
architect,
designer and
sculptor. Born in
Athens, Ohio to Chinese immigrants, she attended
Yale University to study
architecture. In 1981, while still an
undergraduate at Yale she achieved national recognition when she won a national design competition for the planned
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
Washington, D.C. The memorial was designed in the
minimalist architectural style, and it attracted controversy upon its release but went on to become influential. Lin has since designed numerous
memorials, public and private buildings,
landscapes, and
sculptures. In 1989, she designed the
Civil Rights Memorial in
Montgomery, Alabama. She has an older brother, the poet
Tan Lin.
Although best known for historical memorials, she is also known for environmentally themed works, which often address environmental decline. According to Lin, she draws inspiration from the architecture of nature but believes that nothing she creates can match its beauty. She also draws inspirations from "culturally diverse sources, including Japanese gardens, Hopewell Indian earthen mounds, and works by American earthworks artists of the 1960s and the 1970s".
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