Maya Lin's 'One Life' closes Sunday

Maya Lin, age about 4, who said later that "play," despite advice from a professor, has always been an important part of her life and work. From a photograph at the National Portrait Gallery exhibition.

Maya Lin  (b. 1959) was only 21 years old and an undergraduate student when her submission for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial  was chosen as the winning design from approximately 1,420 entries.

When the winner was announced, her design met considerable opposition and resistance. Former U.S. Senator James Webb of Virginia, himself a Vietnam veteran, called it "a nihilistic slab of stone"; President Ronald Reagan's secretary of the interior delayed issuing a building permit. 

Since its dedication in 1982, the memorial has become "something of a shrine," according to the founder, Jan Scruggs. 

The U.S. Department of Defense says more than five million people visit the memorial annually, making it the most popular monument on the National Mall ...  and the first monument there to be designed by a woman.

On two pieces of black granite, the names of 58,320 persons (the number is debatable) who are missing in action or died as a result of the Vietnam War are carved in chronological order of their deaths.

Closing Sunday at the National Portrait Gallery is a short celebration of Ms. Lin's life in an excellent exhibition, One Life:  Maya Lin.  

In 2016 President Barack Obama awarded Maya Lin the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S./by Chip Somodevilla (b. 1972)

In the Maya Lin gallery at the National Portrait Gallery/by Patricia Leslie

In the Maya Lin gallery at the National Portrait Gallery/by Patricia Leslie

Her life's story is shown in chronological order with family photos, personal items, three dimensional models, designs and pictures of other buildings she has accomplished since the memorial thrust her into the world's limelight which has never waned.

Dorothy Moss, the museum’s curator of painting and sculpture, curated the show.

Maya Lin's Langston Hughes Library in Clinton, Tennessee, from a photograph by Timothy Hursley (b. 1955), National Portrait Gallery

Maya Lin's Riggio-Lynch Interfaith Chapel, Clinton, Tennessee, from a photograph by Timothy Hursley (b. 1955), National Portrait Gallery

The introduction to Maya Lin at the National Portrait Gallery/by Patricia Leslie

The introduction to Maya Lin at the National Portrait Gallery/by Patricia Leslie

When Ms. Lin entered college, she wanted to be a zoologist. Part of her schooling took her to Denmark where she learned memorials could become community spaces. 

As a child she spent hours playing with her brother in the woods behind the family home in Ohio, nature's surroundings which continue to play a criticial role in her life and work as an environmentalist and climate change soldier.

This is the museum’s first One Life exhibition dedicated to an Asian American.

For photos from the memorial on Memorial Day 2014, go here. For a visit Ms. Lin made to the former Corcoran Gallery in 2009, go here.

What:  One Life:  Maya Lin

When: Closing April 16, 2023. The National Portrait Gallery is open daily from 11:30 a.m - 7 p.m. 

Where: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F streets, N. W., Washington, D.C. 20001

Admission: No fee

For more information: 202-633-8300 or visit the website

Closest Metro station: Gallery Place-Chinatown or walk 10 minutes from Metro Center

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Bike the sites on the Mall

Detail from the Vietnam Women's Memorial on the National Mall, dedicated on Armistice Day, 1993 and designed by Glenna Goodacre (1939-2020)/Photo by Patricia Leslie

I am a lucky gal! Not too far from the National Mall where I can hop on a bike and go riding the sites to see beautiful statues, art and scenery.  The Mall is so big, there's plenty to see.  Come on aboard, mates, for a wonderful time, corona-free, on a Sunday afternoon. Or, anytime.

Happy Memorial Day to veterans everywhere!  We thank you.

Photo by Patricia Leslie    

Our first stop was in Bolivar Gardens a block north of the National Mall where Virginia, C and 18th streets meet in Washington, D.C. This park was named after "the Liberator" Simon Bolivar (1783-1830).

The Republic of Venezuela gave the statue to the U.S. in 1958 which is across the street from the Pan American Union Building of the Organization of American States. Felix de Weldon designed it and the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Here, General Bolivar, proud centerpiece of the park, leads troops to freedom from Spain which formerly occupied what is now Venezuela, Bolivia, Columbia, Equator, Peru, and Panama. 
Near General Bolivar and the Lincoln Memorial is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with the names of 58,318 veterans who died as a result of the war. Some 3,000,000 persons visit the memorial every year, designed in blind competition by Yale University student, Maya Lin (b. 1959)/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Across the grass from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the Vietnam Women's Memorial dedicated on Armistice Day, 1993, designed by Glenna Goodacre (1939-2020)/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 The Vietnam Women's Memorial/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Detail from the Vietnam Women's Memorial/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The sculptor's signature stone at the Vietnam Women's Memorial/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Photo by Patricia Leslie 

Between the WWII and the Lincoln memorials and not far from the Korean War Veterans Memorial, is the District of Columbia War Memorial which lists in alphabetical order the names of all 499 District men and women who died in World War I service. Not rank, not race, nor gender is important at this memorial.

The website at the National Park Service says the structure is big enough to accommodate the U.S. Marine Corps band and was built as a bandstand for concerts to honor the war dead. 

General John J. Pershing and John Philip Sousa, the former conductor of the Marine Corps Band, were among the thousands who attended or listened to live radio coverage of the ceremony when President Herbert Hoover dedicated the War Memorial on Armistice Day, November 11,1931.

For years the memorial stood unattended, in poor condition, hidden in trees, unseen by many, neglected and languishing until 2010 when a $3.6 million grant paid for its restoration. Since then, the roof (below) has deteriorated and needs work.

The D.C. War Memorial on the National Mall with a rusty canopy, in need of refurbishment/Photo by Patricia Leslie

From a cluster of cherry blossom trees, the Washington Monument rises/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The centerfold of the World War II Memorial is the Lincoln Memorial, seen in the distance. The DC Memorial stands in the trees on the left, and the Vietnam memorials, in the trees on the right/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A host of golden daffodils border the entrance to the 9th Street Expressway adjacent to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Beautiful, fragrant hyacinths dot the landscape somewhere on the Mall/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Snow in springtime? It happens, but these pretties were also along the walkway beside the Natural History museum/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Photo by Patricia Leslie 

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt summoned his friend, Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, and told him that if a memorial were erected to the president, FDR would like it to be about the size of his desk, please, nothing fancy, but a location at the corner of the U.S. National Archives would be nice.  And so it was, dedicated on the 20th anniversary of President Roosevelt's death, April 12, 1965 on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The FDR Memorial at National Archives/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Vietnam Women's Memorial/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The museums are still closed but that doesn't keep hundreds from enjoying the statuary and beautiful scenery at the Mall where spaciousness permits easy social distancing. Mask wearers vary from about a third a few weeks ago to more than half now.

Yes! Get on that bike and ride, have fun, and learn a thing or two. (Read other recent posts "on the Mall": the delay of the dedication of the Eisenhower Memorial and a sad Earth Day Park.)

patricialesli@gmail.com

Veterans Day 2018 at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.

 At the annual Veterans Day tribute at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the 25th anniversary of the first monument on the National Mall to honor female troops in the war, the Vietnam Women Memorial, was celebrated. The wreath above, "Never Again" from Vietnam Veterans Against the War, was one of several at the women's memorial.

The sculptor, Glenda Goodacre, wrote for the program that her ill health prevented her attendance today but "how proud I am to have been a part of your remarkable accomplishments....the Vietnam Women's Memorial has been my most gratifying commission....The response to my work is what a public art creator would hope for in her wildest dreams."/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Vietnam Women's Memorial, Washington, D.C. Veterans Day, 2018/
Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Vietnam Women's Memorial, sculpted by Glenda Goodacre, Washington, D.C. Veterans Day, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Vietnam Women's Memorial, sculpted by Glenda Goodacre, Washington, D.C. Veterans Day, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Looking up a name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C. Veterans Day, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Looking up a name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C. Veterans Day, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 At the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie.

Kera O'Bryon sang the "Star-Spangled Banner." The speakers included Diane Carlson Evans, the founder of the Vietnam Women's Memorial, and Patricia Trap, acting superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks who said the names of eight women were among the 58,318 listed on the Wall who died as a result of the war in Vietnam.

The Joint Forces Color Guard prepares to present the colors at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Joint Forces Color Guard prepares to present the colors at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Joint Forces Color Guard prepares to present the colors at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Joint Forces Color Guard prepares to present the colors at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C. Veterans Day, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Jim Knotts, the Wall Memorial Foundation president and CEO of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, speaks at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 A member of the Australia chapter of Vietnam Veterans at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 At the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.  2018, traveling in style/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A member of the Boy Scouts Order of the Arrow at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Three Servicemen Statue by Frederick Hart near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C. Veterans Day, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

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At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Veterans Day 2014

 

A commemoration  at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014 to honor Sgt. James L. Wieler/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The people gather before the formal program begins at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014.  Some of  the scheduled speakers included Jake Tapper from CNN; Jerry Gast, Vietnam veteran; Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; Robert Vogel, superintendent of the National Mall and memorial parks; Diane Carlson Evans, Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation; and Chris Jackson, bagpiper/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014, volunteers in yellow hats and shirts answered questions and guided visitors/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014, a commemoration to honor Norman "Doc" Keller, killed in action June 4, 1968/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Handmade cards by children to honor the troops at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Some of the floral tributes at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014 this display says in part: "We are here to pay tribute to our failed brothers from our Company, A/2/12, 3rd Brigade, 4th and 25th Infantry Division, 1965-67.  During our tour time in Vietnam, while serving out of Dau Tieng, we had 45 young men killed in combat.  Our Battalion lost a total of 324 men in the jungles of War, Zone C.  Alpha Association/Photo by Patricia Leslie

From the Boy Scouts of America, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

It was the 30th anniversary of the Three Servicemen Statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Vietnam vets at the Three Servicemen Statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A close-up of the wooden sculpture from the photo above, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Old friends at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Story telling all day at the Vietnam Women's Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Before they arrived at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014, the chants from these Army troops could be heard from far away/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The marching, chanting Army at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 "Service Dogs for America's Heroes" were numerous at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Henick family is bound for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Nov. 11, 2014 to honor veterans, Mr. Henick said/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Three friends at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

In the park near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Nov. 11, 2014/Photo by Patricia Leslie

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