Maya Lin Biography - Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline
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Maya Lin Biography
(Designer)Birthday: October 5, 1959 (Libra)
Born In: Athens
Advanced SearchMaya Lin is an American architect and artist who rose to prominence with her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Most of her artworks ranging from small sculptures displayed in galleries to magnificent large environmental installations seem to take inspiration from the natural features and landscape. Born to Chinese parents who immigrated to United States before her birth, Lin was a reserved child and did not have many friends. She was a bright kid who enjoyed her studies and kept herself entertained through reading, hiking, and working in her father's ceramics studio. After completing high school, she attended Yale University to pursue graduation in architecture and subsequently her best-known work, the design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., grew out of a class project during her senior year. Later, after earning a master’s degree in architecture, she got involved in artistic endeavors and built another famous memorial for the Civil Rights movement. In an attempt to avoid being typecast as a builder of memorials, she later shifted to other forms of architectural works such as glass sculptures and art installations. In her long and fruitful career, she has received much recognition for her artistic creations and still continues to be an active sculptor and architect Quick FactsAlso Known As: Maya Ying Lin
Age: 64 Years, 64 Year Old Females
More Factseducation: Yale University, Yale School of Architecture
awards: Twenty-five Year Award - 2007
AIA Honor Award - 1984
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American PeopleYale UniversityHarvard UniversityWomen ArtistsWomen Architects Childhood & Early LifeMaya Lin was born on October 5, 1959, in Athens, Ohio, to Henry Huan Lin, a ceramist and former dean of the Ohio University College of Fine Arts, and his wife, Ming Hui, a professor at the Ohio University.Her family had migrated to the United States from China in 1949, and finally settled in Ohio in 1958, one year before the birth of Maya. She is the youngest child in her family with an older brother, Tan A. Lin, who grew up to be an English professor and poet.As a child, she stayed at home most of the time and did not have many friends to interact with. Apart from enjoying regular studies, she also took independent courses from Ohio University and spent her free time casting bronzes in the school foundry.After finishing high school, she attended the Yale University and graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture. During her senior year of graduation, she won a public design competition in which she submitted a design for a monument to honor those who fought in the Vietnam War.In 1986, she completed her post-graduation with an MA in Architecture from Yale University.