Maya Lin was born on October 10, 1959 in Athens, Ohio. She went to Yale College to study Architecture. Maya Lin became a monumental artist at the young age of 21. Maya Lin became one of the most controversial artists in the United States with her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It came under attack for a number of reasons but it eventually will be one of the most visited monuments in the United States. She also designed The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama.