Boston Children's MuseumFort Point / Seaport

Trees Make Happiness 2

Now showingUntil 31 March 2027$24

Paintings and drawings by Japanese student artists on trees, happiness and resilience, marking 15 years of the Arts Friends Tohoku Project. Shown in the gallery beside the Japanese House.

Exhibition website Book tickets

More in Boston

On now All of October 2026

In one painting, a young woman in white stands under cherry blossom while a moss-covered creature rests its head by her open hand. In another, a black-and-white cat sleeps in a straw nest under gold-edged leaves. You walk up to a brick wall hung with dozens of small works, and green cards between them ask, "If you were a tree that made happiness, what kind of tree would you be?"

The artists are students, staff and alumni of six Japanese schools. Akemi Chayama, who runs the Museum's Japan Program, says the works mix personal, cultural and religious influences, including Japanese beliefs in tree spirits. The show follows a first edition here in 2016 and marks 15 years of the Arts Friends Tohoku Project, begun after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Chayama calls it "small in size": one gallery beside the Japanese House, so make it a stop on your way through. It's included in Museum admission ($24 for adults and children 1 to 15) and runs until March 2027.

Look for

The creature under the cherry blossom
A young woman in a white blouse holds out her hand to a huge, moss-textured creature with a long snout, while two small green birds flit through the blossom.
The sleeping cat
A black-and-white cat curls up asleep in a nest of straw, framed by big leaves picked out in gold.
Saito Shota's face in the branches
A child's face looks out from a tangle of blue, black and orange brushstrokes that grow into branches above the head.
The question cards
Green cards pinned among the paintings ask "How do you feel when you are near trees?" and what kind of tree you would be.
The Kyukon hunt
The Museum challenges visitors to find all the Kyukon hidden in some of the pieces on the wall.

Good for

An Hour Or Less
Small Kids

Skip if

You'd come without kids just for this: it's one small gallery wall inside a children's museum.

With kids

Kids can hunt for the Kyukon hidden in some of the pieces and answer the cards asking what kind of tree they'd be. It's part of Museum admission: $24 for ages 1 and up, free under 12 months.