As part of our April film series on Women in Art, the Maine Film Center and the Colby College Museum of Art present Maya Lin: A Strong, Clear Vision (1994, 1:45). This Academy Award-winning documentary tells the story of the design and creation of the Vietnam War Memorial, focusing on the controversy that arose when it was announced that the winning design was submitted by a young Chinese-American woman, Maya Lin. Since completion, the Vietnam War Memorial has become one of the most famous memorials in the US because of its spiritual and emotional impact.
Twenty-seven years after the film was released, Maya Lin continues her work, creating sculptures, parks, monuments, and architectural projects around the world. The Colby College Museum of Art has multiple works by the artist in its permanent collection, and she was a senior fellow at the museum’s Lunder Institute for American Art during the 2020–2021 academic year. Much of Lin’s focus for that year was on what she has described as her “last memorial.” That project, What is Missing?, is a multi-site and multimedia project devoted to the global biodiversity crisis related to habitat loss.
Kris Bergquist, Mirken Curator of Education and Engagement at the Colby Museum, will introduce the film with Helen Bennett ’22, who worked with Maya Lin and her studio staff during the artist’s fellowship with the Lunder Institute.
The Campus + Community Film series is a collaborative program of the Colby College Museum of Art and Maine Film Center at Railroad Square Cinema. Films selected are related to or inspired by current exhibitions and/or works in the Colby Museum collection.