Lin, Maya (1959-…), is an American artist known for designing such architectural projects as monuments and parks. She became famous for her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982), which stands in Washington, D.C. The memorial honors the Americans who served in the Vietnam War (1957-1975). Lin submitted her winning design in a national competition while she was a 21-year-old senior at Yale University. Lin’s architectural work features abstract designs that harmonize with the surrounding landscape. Natural features of the earth, such as waves and hills, serve as inspiration for many of her sculptures.
Lin’s other important projects include the Civil Rights Memorial (1989) in Montgomery, Alabama; a new building (2009) for the Museum of Chinese in America, in New York City; and Hope Plaza (2010) at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Lin led the redesign of the Neilson Library at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts (2021). Lin has also exhibited sculptures and furniture designs.
Lin’s outdoor installations include the Wave Field (1995) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and the Storm King Wavefield (2009) in upstate New York. Both consist of rows of small rolling hills shaped like ocean waves. A Fold in the Field (2013) is an even larger earthwork north of Auckland, New Zealand, that continues the wave theme. The installation depicts five folds in the Earth set on a flat plain. Since 2006, Lin has served as an artist and architect for the Confluence Project, a series of six outdoor works being built at historical spots along the Columbia River Basin in Oregon and Washington.
Maya Ying Lin was born on Oct. 5, 1959, in Athens, Ohio. Her parents had emigrated from China to the United States in 1949. Lin received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981, a Master of Architecture degree in 1986, and an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 1987, all from Yale University. She was the subject of Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1994), which won an Academy Award for best documentary feature film.
