Photo: Berkeley Center for New Media / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Maya Lin is, for me, one of the most quietly powerful artists America has produced. Designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a Yale undergraduate barely in her twenties, and weathering the firestorm that followed, says everything about her conviction. What moves me is her restraint: a black wall, a curve of names, and grief made tangible without a single loud gesture. Architect, sculptor, land artist, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, she lets space and silence do the talking. In an age of noise, an artist who can move people through stillness is rare and worth treasuring.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Maya Lin
- Name (Japanese)
- マヤ・リン
- Reading
- まや・りん
- Born
- October 5, 1959 (age 66)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Boar
- Origin
- Athens, Ohio, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- architect / sculptor / land artist / landscape architect / printmaker
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Athens High School
- University
- Yale University
Awards & achievements
- 1999 Rome Prize
- 2009 National Medal of Arts
- 2005 National Women's Hall of Fame
- 2004 Pearl S. Buck Award
- 1990 Ohio Women's Hall of Fame
- 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom
- White House Fellows
- 2011 Rachel Carson Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Above and Below | — | |
| Notable work | The Wall | — | |
| Notable work | The Women’s Table | — |
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.mayalin.com/
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/mayalinstudio_/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%83%A4%E3%83%BB%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3
Frequently asked questions
When was Maya Lin born?
Born October 5, 1959 (age 66).
Where is Maya Lin from?
Maya Lin is from Athens, Ohio, United States.
What does Maya Lin do?
Maya Lin works as architect, sculptor, land artist, landscape architect, printmaker.
What is Maya Lin known for?
Notable works include Above and Below, The Wall, The Women’s Table.
Architect — see all → · Sculptor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.