Maya Lin

Maya Lin won the 1981 design competition while she was still an undergraduate at Yale. Her proposal was selected from more than 1,400 entries.

Some critics objected to the black granite, the low V-shaped form, and the lack of heroic figures. After its 1982 dedication in Washington, D.C., the memorial became one of the most visited and influential works of public design in the United States.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial lists the names of U.S. service members who died or went missing in the Vietnam War. The names are arranged chronologically, making the wall read as both a monument and a record of loss.

Yes, Lin has worked on sculpture, architecture, landscapes, and environmental projects. Her later works continue the quiet, site-specific approach that made the 1982 Vietnam memorial so powerful.