Maya Lin
2009 National Medal of Arts recipient and artist/designer Maya Lin receives her medal from President Barack Obama at an East Room ceremony at the White House on February 25, 2010. The National Medal of Arts is a presidential initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts and is the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence. Photo by Richard Frasier
Bio
Maya Lin redefined the idea of the monument with her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Since then, Lin has gone on to pursue an extraordinary career in both visual art and architecture, while continuing to create memorials that address the key historical moments of our time. Lin’s works include, among others, the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama; a library and chapel for the Children’s Defense Fund; the Museum of Chinese in America in New York; highly acclaimed environmental artworks; and solo art exhibitions throughout the country and abroad.