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Best known for winning the public design competition for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the age of 21 and still as an undergraduate , Maya Lin ’ s v-shaped , granite sculpture caused mass controversy , in part because of its unconventional and non-traditional design for a war memorial , and in part because of Lin ’ s gender , ethnicity , and lack of professional experience . In 2007 , the Memorial was ranked # 10 by the American Institute of Architects on their List of America ’ s Favourite Architecture . Later , in 1994 , Lin was the subject of the Academy Awardwinning documentary Maya Lin : A Strong Clear Vision , and in 2009 was awarded the National Medal of Arts by US President Barack Obama . Lin prefers to think of herself as a designer rather than an architect .

22 July 2016