The sun is out! The weather’s getting warmer! What a perfect day to take a shady summer stroll through the Japanese Friendship Garden. Take a look on the upside, and you’ll find over 80 umbrellas painted by young artists from ages 4 to 10!

From mid- to late-July, catch the terraced greenery of the Main Courtyard in bloom with petals of papaya orange, minty teal, pineapple yellow, lime green, dragonfruit pink and cornflower blue. This season, OneHouse Arts students have chosen the most delicious slices of the color wheel to mix and paint onto wagasas, or Japanese paper parasols. Inspired by designs found in their favorite plants and animals, artists use bold strokes, dots, patches and lines to create rhythmic and radial patterns. Each child presents a different idea of how to stay cool this summer, and together, their umbrellas form a cascade of creativity to complement the spectacles surrounding them. Sit patiently, and the garden may dance and spin its umbrellas for you.