Close up of a jade statue of a bodhisattva (Buddha-to-be) that sits at the entrance of the Killing Fields Memorial at the Cambodian Association of Illinois, Chicago, IL. The statue marks a separation between exhibit space and commemorative space.
A jade statue of a bodhisattva (Buddha-to-be) sits at the entrance of the Killing Fields Memorial in Chicago, forming a separation between exhibit space and commemorative space. The memorial is a permanent fixture at the Cambodian Association of Illinois and was designed by local Cambodian American architects.
The Cambodian Association of Illinois (CAI) is located at 2831 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. Cambodian community members designed and constructed an Angkorean-style bas relief facade for the building. CAI was founded by Cambodian evacuees and refugees in 1976 to assist the thousands of Cambodian refugees who arrived in the states after escaping the Khmer Rouge regime. In 1999, CAI launched a campaign, Hope & Renewal, to relocate to a larger building (on Lawrence Ave) and expand its services and programs. The campaign supported the creation of a museum and memorial.
