why was lin's vietnam veterans memorial initially controversial

One needs no artistic education to see this memorial design for what it is, remarked one critic, a black scar, in a hole, hidden as if out of shame. In a letter to President Ronald Reagan, 27 Republican congressmen called it a political statement of shame and dishonor., Secretary of the Interior James Watt, who administered the site, sided with the critics and blocked the project until changes were made. But after Maya Lin had won with the contest she also became the center of some controversy. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Video art is more experimental than television. Her work asks the viewer to reconsider nature and the environment at a time when it is crucial to do so. Craven, Jackie. People felt that it should have been more self-expressive on Lin's part. 1. Studio 360 host Kurt Andersen explores the stories of those objects and of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in a powerful audio portrait that is part of the American Icons series from Studio 360. The placement of the statue was NOT part of Lin's design, yet vocal groups demanded the more conventional monument. DC The monument's location, stretching between the Lincoln and Washington monuments, adds to its air of respect, says journalist Laura Palmer, who was a reporter in Saigon in the early 1970s. A member of the National Womens Hall of Fame, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. 1 The 1981 competition was anonymous and presented on poster board back then. "It's just a very pleasant place. Vietnam veteran Tom Cathcart was among those objecting to the memorials black hue, which he said was the universal color of shame and sorrow and degradation. Other critics thought Lins V-shaped design was a subliminal anti-war message that imitated the two-finger peace sign flashed by Vietnam War protestors. Vietnam Veterans Memorial As a senior at Yale University, Lin entered a nationwide competition sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and her design was selected from the more than 1,400 submissions that were received. The memorial is composed not as an unchanging monument, but as a moving composition to be understood as we move into and out of it. Nov 7, 2019. OA. Winning only two bronze medals, the 199819981998 Olympics was a disappointment for the U.S. snowboarders. (A) incompetent The moment plans. German forces break through Allied lines at Saint-L; Germany is The purity, vividness, or intensity of a hue refers to its. The tourists from all over the world who come to see it dont come to ponder the Battle of Pleiku or the fall of Saigon. Battle of Guadalcanal The 1996 documentary about her, Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. Which branch of philosophy studies the creative process in the arts and the role of art in society? Its mere existence would be societal recognition that their sacrifices were honorable rather than dishonorable. These names continue on this wall appearing to recede into the earth at the walls end. After visiting the Washington, DC site, Lin's sketches took form. And while she had little personal connection to Vietnam, she did experience the cascading effects of the war: During the 1970s, the conflict indelibly impacted American life and popular culture. The Architect, Sculptor, and Artist. (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images), A group of veterans protested the design, claiming that it was an ugly insult that portrayed the war as shameful, dishonorable and worth hiding. Which series provides an introduction to the values and problems of the Cold War era and its aftermath? Some argued that the memorial should rise from the ground and not sink into the earth as if it was something to be hidden. Thus this memorial is for those who have died, and for us to remember them. Private Funding No government funds were used to build the memorial, only public land. To win the halfpipe, spectacular moves had to be made by competitors traveling through a chute of snow. But the idea of expunging entirely the history of the American Civil War and casting the cloak of shame on all things Confederate, I think, is going too far. "Vietnam Veterans Memorial." Theres admirable strength to Mayas convictions, and philosophical intrigue to her aesthetic arguments. Photo by Hisham Ibrahim / Photographer's Choice / Getty Images (cropped), Image courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, digital file from original, Entry Number 1026: Maya Lin's Words and Sketches. Lin learned about the compromise not from the veterans, and not even from Cooper-Lecky, a firm she had chosen over the veterans' objections. answer choices . Overnight, veterans accepted Lins wall as a solemn monument, and over time critics lost their forum. Those declared dead are marked by a diamond; those MIA are marked by a cross. Lin, who turned 58 last month, burst into the news in 1981 as a 21-year-old Yale University senior whose design for a Vietnam War memorial, to be erected on a grassy meadow between the. 2 [3] It was the first representation of an African American on the National Mall. For her, the design problem was a class project at Yale University. victorious at the Battle of the Bulge. "The Memorial had several purposes," he explained. Veterans groups decried the lack of patriotic or heroic symbols often seen on war memorials and complained that it seemingly honored only the fallen and not the living veterans. They escaped mainland China as young adults when it became clear that their families might be threatened by Maoist revolutionaries. The Young Men's-Young Women's Christian Association was created in 1969, an apparent merger of the men's and women's Y's elements. The controversy surrounding its construction veterans decrying Lin and her design, the congressional hearings that followed and the addition of a statue nearby depicting three soldiers as a compromise is the subject of Memorial, a nimbly drawn and elegantly executed new play by Livian Yeh that opened on Sunday at the Mezzanine at A.R.T./New York Theaters. There is general critical acclaim for the clarity of Lin's vision. Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial. "The veterans were asking me, 'What do you think people are going to do when they first come here?'" Lin recalls. Together, we can make sure our heroes will get the reverence they deserve and the stories and sacrifices of our heroes will never be forgotten. The decision to select her was viewed as an insult by some. Jan Scruggs (courtesy photo) WHEN JAN C. SCRUGGS left Vietnam in 1969, the once wounded infantryman figured he'd left the war and Vietnam behind. Ironically, he credits his wounds . Our country needed something symbolic to help heal our wounds." History of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Battle of Midway Many who visit leave behind items in memoriam to those that have served. SUBMIT, Question 1 of 10 Free shipping for many products! She knew that she needed words to explain her abstractions. The actual area is wide and shallow, allowing for a sense of privacy, and the sunlight from the memorials southern exposure along with the grassy park surrounding and within its walls, contribute to the serenity of the area. Although she designed an apolitical monument, the politics of the Vietnam War could not be avoided. Why was Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial initially controversial? Maya Lin, (born October 5, 1959, Athens, Ohio, U.S.), American architect and sculptor concerned with environmental themes who is best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Not even three years after the memorial opened, the New York Times reported it was something of a surprise is how quickly America has overcome the divisions caused by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.. The problem was not with Lin's beautiful and poignant ideas, but her drawings were vague and ambiguous. In 1981, Maya Lin was completing her studies at Yale University by taking a seminar on funeral architecture. Maya Lin was still a college student when her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was selected through an open-submission process. These names, seemingly infinite in number, convey the sense of overwhelming numbers, while unifying these individuals into a whole. 1) it commemorated an unpopular war. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Photograph + the poem "Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa Ochsner, J.K. (1997, February). Steve Oles redrew Maya Lin's winning entry to clarify her intent and explain her submission. I would not discuss the controversy surrounding its construction and it wasn't until I saw the documentary Maya . Have the class discuss the following points. Television news brought the war into peoples living rooms in unprecedentedand graphicdetail. Which of the following is pigment bound by egg yolk? Lin was the one who put all the effort in writing the name of the veterans in chronological orders so that the veterans can easily locate their names. 10 years of battle field with deep bitter emotions of shame, anger and . All Rights Reserved. As the owner of her own New York City architectural studio, she designs a wide variety of structures from houses to museums to chapels. The memorial doesn't focus on the war fought but on the fighters. "The drawings were in soft pastels, very mysterious, very painterly, and not at all typical of architectural drawings.". It wasnt so much of an artistic dispute as a political one, she wrote. The mission of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is to honor and preserve the legacy of service and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War. Please leave evidence I will report anything other than this 1 See answer Advertisement lheduardomarques Critics attacked that plan for its abstract shape, dark colour, descent below ground level, absence of patriotic symbols, and for the fact that the US-born Lin was of Asian descent. November 2, 2000 issue. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial The controversy about the wall reflected America's feelings at that time regarding our involvement in Vietnam. It will be one of the hottest tickets in town. ".for those who have died." Its detractors perceived it as "a monument to defeat, one that spoke more directly to a nation's guilt than to the honor of the war dead and the veterans," describing it as the "black gash of shame," the "degrading ditch," and a "wailing wall for draft dodgers and New Lefters of the future." 4 Responding to its lack of The artist, Glenna Goodacre, has stated that in this vignette, the young man is saved by the actions of these womenshe wanted this artwork "to be a monument for the living."

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