In creating the work, Lin charted the span of contemporary bodies of water from the Arctic to the Great Lakes that were formed by the melting of the Laurentide Ice Shelf, which once covered much of the North American continent. With Flow, Lin a committed environmentalist, focuses attention on the crucial role of water, both to our region, and to global survival. The exhibition also creates connection and dialogue with Ecliptic, the public park in Rosa Parks Circle created by Lin that marks its 20th anniversary in 2020. “I’ve always been fixated on water,” says Lin. “Maybe it’s because it exists in multiple states, and you can never understand it in nature as a fixed moment in time.”
GRAND RAPIDS ART MUSEUM
Above: Maya Lin, Flow, 2009. FSC certified spruce, pine and fir 2 x 4s 2’ x 35’ x 11’ (.61 x 10.668x 3.353 m) © Maya Lin Studio, courtesy Pace Gallery Below: Maya Lin speaking with students during a tour of the exhibition
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