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Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute Logo In the web of life, seldom are cause and effect directly connected. Such is the story of the Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute’s logo.
When the original home of the GVJCI burned down in 1973, an ad hoc committee was formed to raise funds for a replacement building. At that time, the committee members met with an artist, M. Arayama, and explained the goals and mission of the GVJCI, as a parent organization of the JCI Japanese Language School and a home for the various community organizations that served the four generations of Japanese Americans—Issei, Nisei, Sansei and Yonsei. M. Arayama designed the logo which consisted of a circle in the center and four outer circles intersecting with the central circle. The outer circles represent the four generations and the intersecting circle shows the bridging of the generations through the GVJCI. Beautiful in its symbolic representation, the logo has become well-recognized over the years during which the GVJCI has matured and become focused with serving the best interests of the Japanese American community as its mission. From the tragedy of a destructive fire, came the birth of a beautiful and enduring symbol of strength and community. The time has come for the GVJCI to metamorphose into something not only serving the four generations, but also the rapidly changing nature of the Japanese American community.
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