LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Maya Lin
built 303 days ago
On July 1, 1980, Congress authorized a site in Constitution Gardens near the Lincoln Memorial for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial thereby providing the prominent, large parklike setting that the organizers had hoped to find. That fall it was announced that the memorial's design would be selected through a national competition open to any U.S. citizen 18 years of age or older. The 1,421 design entries submitted were judged anonymously by a jury of eight internationally recognized artists and designers. On May 1, 1981, the jury presented its unanimous selection for first prize. The winning design was the work of Maya Ying Lin of Athens, Ohio, who at the time was a 21-year-old student at Yale University. The following January it was determined that a flagstaff and figurative sculpture depicting fighting men in Vietnam would be added to the memorial site.
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The Memorial, dedicated November 11, 1988, was created as a result of the concerns of 10 students who were Vietnam veterans, and now retired faculty member Lee Dodson. During the conflict, Mr. Dodson corresponded with many of his students who were in Vietnam, offering support, and a link to "HOME". It is to the memory of those who did not return, and the efforts of those 10 students, and Mr. Lee Dodson , this tribute is dedicated.
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The Commission expressed concern about the inherent contradiction of relating the VVMC’s design to that of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the subsequent risk of subverting the power and meaning of the original memorial. The Commission members reiterated that care must be taken to minimize the project’s negative impacts on the visual setting of the Lincoln Memorial and views outward from it and on the overall appearance of West Potomac Park as the design is developed. They suggested that the program be reduced in size—in contrast to the apparent expansion that has occurred since the last presentation—in order to limit the project’s impact. The Commission recommended further study of the materials, finishes, and site issues such as orientation, setbacks, and the relation of the building and walkways to the surrounding streets and crosswalks.
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Architect/artist Paul Stevenson Oles recalled about his role in the initial phase of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial: “. . . shortly after we had learned our entry had not been selected as the winner, I received a frantic telephone call . . . from the competition’s Professional Advisor Paul Sprieregen, informing me that the drawings of the winner’s original submission were so vague—beautiful, indeed, but highly ambiguous. . . . He asked me if I could produce, say, three drawings for the purpose of explaining Maya Lin’s design, in a hurry . . . In those heady hours, Maya asked, shyly, if “she could be included in the picture.” I agreed, conditionally, if she would be willing to appear on the arm of the illustrator (center drawing).”
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WASHINGTON - They are lined up like footnotes to the names etched on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial's polished black granite, leaning against its base, some a collective tribute to the fallen, others bearing a message for just one of the dead. An
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The Commission members ... noted that the renderings of the project made it clear that the recently constructed food-service kiosk near the Lincoln Memorial is poorly sited in relation to the new VVMC proposal. The Commission would welcome a rethinking of the overall plan for this site, particularly as it affects the setting of the Lincoln Memorial; consideration should be given to improving the relationship of the VVMC to the kiosk, or removing the kiosk entirely.
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Maya Lin