Architect Maya Lin, famous for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., when she was 21 years old, has a new exhibit called "Systematic Landscapes." The exhibit turns real natural landscapes into huge cross sections that people can walk through. One piece is a large hill that has been built in moveable sections that allows viewers to walk in-between the piece. Another piece is based on the Caspian Sea and shows the body of water as a three-dimensional object. Maya Lin met recently with NewsHour arts correspondent to talk about the traveling exhibit, which Lin says she hopes brings people closer to the natural world - a part of life she thinks people tend to forget after their childhood. Lin also talks about the memorial that made her famous. While considered by some to be one of the best memorials on the National Mall and an important public memorial, it was controversial when unveiled. Quotes "We know what that rock is, we look at it, we go back, and we rely on all our known experiences of it, and we've actually at times stopped looking. We've stopped seeing. So if I can almost get you to rethink it, maybe you'll look at the natural world again." - Maya Lin "There's also a high-tech aspect to the work. Many are based on NASA or geological survey maps that plot, say, the depths and contours of an inland sea." - Jeffrey Brown "It took me an additional decade to make enough work so that people might see my other works as art, because it is a big shadow that I live in." - Maya Lin Warm Up Questions 1. What is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial? Describe it as much as you can. 2. What types of art are you familiar with? What is your favorite? Discussion Questions 1. What did you think of Lin's art? Did you think it brought you closer to parts of the earth? 2. Would you go see an exhibit like this? Why or why not? 3. Why do you think the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was controversial? What do you think about it now? 4. Would you want Maya Lin to design your house? Why or why not? 5. What kind of memorial would you design for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? Additional Resources Read the transcript Art Beat's coverage of Maya Lin