For first-time visitors to The Happiness Exhibit, entering the renovated camper van may feel like stepping into an otherworldly living room. Inside, they will find a collection of eccentric trinkets, musical instruments and some 2,000 notes that have been left behind by previous guests. After only being inside for a brief amount of time, they may find themselves wondering how the one-of-a-kind exhibit came to be.

Located on NE 23rd and Going Street, the Happiness Exhibit has taken on a surprisingly profound essence for the neighborhood, helping people through difficult times in their lives.

Brent Boyer, a local artist and craftsman, came up with the idea for the exhibit about two years ago with his wife, Patsy. “It backfired in a good way,” he says. “I thought I was doing something nice for others, and it turned out to be nice for me.”

The exhibit initially functioned as a hidden secret for people to aimlessly stumble upon on a walk or bike ride, and became a beloved neighborhood location after Boyer put up a sign on Alberta Street. Since then, the van has been filled with the light and laughter of people from all walks of life.

But the Happiness Exhibit isn’t Boyer’s only project: Throughout the week, he also teaches a three-day workshop called “The Being on Purpose Experiment,” which helps people find their sense of purpose in life.

“My own sense of purpose is beauty,” Boyer says. “Any way that I can bring about beauty for myself or others satisfies me.”

During summer months the exhibit brings people together by hosting viewing parties with a projector inside the van; guests are encouraged to leave a note before they leave. Boyer finds himself unable to throw away the notes that are simply scribbles from kids who have visited the space in the past. “That’s just as valid as somebody quoting Shakespeare,” he says.

The messages on the walls and the welcoming energy of the space make it clear to the people who have come across the Happiness Exhibit have been deeply moved by its hopeful message. Within the two years that the exhibit has been in Northeast Portland, it has connected children, teenagers and adults alike in a search for happiness.

The exhibit, Boyer says, “used to be mine, and now it’s everybody’s.”