Maya Lin

Strong woman. And an even more creative woman. One thing that seems to stand out about her memorials are that they're very simple. Simple, yet extremely symbolic. One can tell that they're not just a bunch of stones put together with the names of those martyred. As with the Vietnam War Veteran's memorial, Maya Lina actually symbolizes the things she thinks should be remembered from the war through the design and architecture of her memorials. The hole, or "wound", in the ground, the arranging of names in chronological order so that it doesn't seem like a name is lost between a bunch of other similar-sounding names: it's obvious that she actually CARES about the feelings of the people who would be affected most by these memorials. She wants to give each soldier the respect they deserve.

Even in the Civil Rights Memorial, she uses the flowing water to symbolize healing. I think it's amazing how much thought Maya Lin puts into these designs and the way she incorporates the meanings through symbolism is remarkable. I never thought architecture could have anything rhetorical attached to it. Whenever I visited memorials or monuments, I never really bothered to understand the symbolism or hidden meanings behind it. But after watching the documentary and understanding what thoughts go behind building a monument that has so many emotions and controversies related to it, I really admire Maya Lin. Not only for her courage to face the criticism that she did at such a young age but also for her sheer genius in doing what she does.