The Colorado River stretches more than 1,450 miles before it crosses the Mexican border and empties into the Gulf of California. It has two major dams, Hoover and Glen Canyon, that fill two of the United States’ largest man-made reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell respectively. The watershed includes more than 240,000 square miles in seven different states and reaches a maximum elevation of 14,321 feet in the Rocky Mountains. It is estimated that more than 40 million people depend on the water that flows down the Colorado. Although its flow has supported the rapid development of numerous communities and cities in the desert southwest, 80% of its water is diverted to irrigate 4 million acres of farm land, which produces over 15% of our country’s food and 13% of its livestock. So, it is poetic that the scaled model of the Colorado River, cast in silver and shown here, is suspended above the reception desk at the Aria Hotel in MGM’s CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip.
This work was developed by Maya Lin, who is best known for her first commission — the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. As a young Asian American architecture student at Yale, she shocked the world by winning a double-blind national design competition. In heroic fashion she managed to navigate the immense scrutiny, politics and bigotry to realize her sublime vision. Her poise and courage were remarkable, making her a (s)hero for aspiring designers and artists. She has gone on to create other memorials as well as a significant body of artwork. Her work is saturated with a thoughtful and holistic view of the world. Her gift is the ability to present important ideas and experiences that gently seep through the walls we build around our thoughts and perceptions, giving us the opportunity to see the environment and our fellow human beings in a different way.