Prominent Asian Pacific Americans

Maya Lin
Artist and architect

Maya Lin (b. 1959) virtually redefined the idea of a monument with her highly acclaimed Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial (1982) in Washington, D.C., and the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama (1989).

Since then she has maintained a careful balance between art and architecture, creating a remarkable body of work that includes large-scale, site-specific installations, intimate studio artworks, and architectural works. Currently Ms. Lin is working on, among others, the design for the Museum of Chinese in America’s new space in lower Manhattan, as well as large scale art installations for Storm King Art Center and for the California Academy of Sciences.

Maya Lin was born in Athens, Ohio, to Chinese immigrants, Maya Lin’s father was the dean of Ohio University’s fine arts department, and her mother was a professor of literature. She has been honored with the Presidential Design Award, The American Institute of Architects Honor Award, the Henry Bacon Memorial Award; and has received Honorary Doctorates in Fine Arts from several universities. A documentary chronically her work, Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision, won the Academy Award for best documentary in 1995. And, in 2005, Lin was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York.

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