Maya Lin

Maya Lin (https://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/lin/ ())

The Vietnam War was a tragic experience for the families of the 58,000 veterans who died or went missing. Maya Lin, born in 1959, helps heal these families with her creation, the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. At the young age of twenty one she built a creation that will continue to heal for years to come. Maya Lin continues to show courage, passion, and determination through her many pieces of art.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (www.redbubble.com/people/ilkergosken/works/502964- ())

Maya Lin showed a lot of courage while building the famous memorial.  Many people did not see what she saw in the memorial.  "To find one name, chances are you will see others close by, and you will see yourself reflected through them," she had said.  But others thought that the memorial was not "appropriate" to commemorate the events of the War.  In fact, many felt that the color of the memorial, black, reflected shame. Maya Lin disagreed, and kept to her design.  When the Academy Award-winning documentary, "Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision" was in the making, Freida Lee Mock, who was filming her at the time, said, "I was struck by how a person could stand up under such tremendous pressure at such a young age."  Because people thought the design was not appropriate for a memorial, a Patriotic statue was added before it was dedicated to the mall in 1982 as a compromise.  As you can see, even though Maya Lin's vision was hard for some to understand, her courage helped make the memorial a success.

Maya Lin working with her cat, Ranch (www.smithsinianmag.com/artsculture/ ())

Maya Lin's passion for art makes her heroic. Even though many people did not believe in her design for the Memorial, she still made it work, and in such a powerful way that it even brought people together. Without a passion and love for art, she probably would have given up after people started criticizing it.  Also, the criticism would not have led her to design more artwork for herself and other attractions.  Some of these other attractions include sculptures stretching along the Columbia and Snake Rivers for the Confluence Project, and the Langston Hughes Library for the Children's Defense Fund in Tennessee.  Passion for art really shows in Maya Lin's artistic creations. 

The Langston Hughes Library (www.barnesandnobleinc.com/slideshow.html ())

"Withstanding bitter attacks, she held her ground with clarity and grace," said pbs.org about Maya Lin. This is an example of Maya Lin's determination when building the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. She would not let people who did not understand her vision get in the way of her project. By sticking to her work, she created a masterpiece that will be remembered for generations. Also, if Maya Lin did not have determination, she would have not done anything else with art after the memorial was built; she would have been too scared. But, because she was determined, she continued to share her gift with the word. Without determination, Maya Lin would never have been as successful and heroic as she is today.

Maya Lin with her design for the Memorial (www.historybyzim.com/2012/06/maya-lin-... ())

To conclude, Maya Lin shows courage, passion, and determination through her artwork, which makes her a hero in my eyes.  She shows kids that you are never too young to do something big, and she shows adults that your vision is worth something.  Maya Lin is clearly a one of a kind, very special person.