The Institute for Art and Olfaction

Chinatown nonprofit scent lab that teaches hands-on perfume blending, accord-building and smelling sessions around its perfume organ.

Coming up at IAO

11 dated

Recurring shows are placed on their next date. Every listing was read off the venue's own page by a person; prices are the printed ones.

Oct25Trick or Treat Smells: Perfume-Making WorkshopSunday, 2:00 PMA Halloween-themed blending session: you smell materials tied to candy and spooky imagery on scent strips, then sketch a seasonal scent concept and work out a short formula of your own, leaving with a small trial bottle and a scented fan. It takes place Sunday, Oct 25 from 2 to 4:30pm at the IAO, 932 Chung King Rd in Chinatown, a short walk from the Metro A Line Chinatown station. Tickets are $85 and any experience level is welcome. A second session runs Tuesday evening, Oct 27.$85.00
Oct27Trick or Treat Smells: Perfume-Making WorkshopTuesday, 6:00 PMThe weeknight edition of the Institute's Halloween perfume class, where you sniff treat-like and eerie aromatics, settle on a seasonal concept and blend a short formula that you take home as a trial vial. It runs Tuesday, Oct 27 from 6 to 8pm at 932 Chung King Rd, Chinatown, near the Metro A Line Chinatown station. The listing price is $85. The same class was also offered the Sunday before, Oct 25.$85.00
Nov2Introduction to Perfume Blending: FreestyleMonday, 5:00 PMA beginner blending class that opens with a primer on naturals versus synthetics, note categories and dilution, then has you set up a station, pick materials from the IAO perfume organ and write and refine your own formula. You leave with a small spray vial of the result. It meets Monday, Nov 2 from 5 to 7:30pm at 932 Chung King Rd in Chinatown (Metro A Line, Chinatown station) and costs $115. The next evening the lab runs a shorter Perfume 101 class for $55.$115
Nov3Perfume 101: Perfumery for BeginnersTuesday, 5:30 PMA two-hour starter course covering fragrance families, how a perfume lab is laid out and how top, middle and base notes work, with one group blend and one blend of your own to take home in a spray vial. It runs Tuesday, Nov 3 from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Chinatown, near the Metro A Line Chinatown stop. The price is $55. A longer freestyle blending class takes place the night before.$55.00
Nov5IAO Collections Smelling Session: Men's DepartmentThursday, 5:30 PMA guided group sniff through fragrances from the Institute's archive that were historically sold at the men's counter, with images, context and discussion along the way. It runs Thursday, Nov 5 from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the IAO, 932 Chung King Rd in Chinatown, near the Metro A Line Chinatown station. Tickets are $35, ages 18 and up, with advance reservations required. It pairs with the three-week Men's Department blending course that starts Nov 8.$35.00
Nov8Perfume-Blending in the Men's DepartmentNov 8 – Nov 8A three-part course on classic cologne and fougere fragrances: you smell finished perfumes and raw materials from the IAO collection, blend short formulas in each style, and compose your own masculine-leaning scent in the last meeting. Sessions are Sundays Nov 8, 15 and 22, each 2 to 4:30pm, at 932 Chung King Rd in Chinatown (Metro A Line, Chinatown station). The course is $225 with materials included and is for ages 18 and up.$225.00
Nov17Tracing Perfume: Animalics and MusksTuesday, 5:00 PMPerfumer Dana El Masri walks through the history of animalic and musky materials in fine fragrance, with group smelling of the materials and of perfumes that made them famous. It runs Tuesday, Nov 17 from 5 to 6:30pm at the Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Chinatown, close to the Metro A Line Chinatown station. Tickets are $45.$45.00
Nov20Advanced Perfume Seminar: Pyrazines and FuranonesFriday, 10:00 AMPerfumer Spyros Drosopoulos leads a technical session on pyrazines and furanones, the potent molecules behind roasted, nutty and caramel effects, with a smelling session, sample formulas and practical advice on dosing them. It runs Friday, Nov 20 from 10am to 1pm at the Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Chinatown (Metro A Line, Chinatown station), with an online option. The fee is $215 and previous blending experience is expected. A second seminar on sulfur and thiazole notes follows that evening.$215.00
Nov21Tea and Olfaction: Deconstructing Taiwanese OolongSaturday, 1:00 PMTea specialist Anna Mariani compares two contrasting Taiwanese oolongs to show how aroma drives flavor, and in the second half Julianne Lee guides you in tweaking a base tea accord to match each tea. It takes place Saturday, Nov 21 from 1 to 3:30pm at 932 Chung King Rd in Chinatown (Metro A Line, Chinatown station), and the price is $135. The October edition of this class sold out.$135.00
Dec2Make Your Own Perfume: Cultures of SeductionWednesday, 5:30 PMBuilt on Saskia Wilson-Brown's perfume-history book, this class smells its way through jasmine, honey, civet and leather before a group blend and an individual perfume that you bottle in a 15 ml spray vial. It runs Wednesday, Dec 2 from 5:30 to 8pm at the Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Chinatown, near the Metro A Line Chinatown station. Tickets are $135. A companion class on the perfume trade follows on Dec 16.$135.00
Dec16Make Your Own Perfume: Cultures of TradeWednesday, 5:30 PMA perfume-making evening themed on historic spice and wood trade routes, smelling sandalwood, nutmeg, clove, saffron and vetiver before making a group blend and then your own composition in a 15 ml spray vial. It meets Wednesday, Dec 16 from 5:30 to 8pm at 932 Chung King Rd in Chinatown (Metro A Line, Chinatown station) and costs $135. The seduction-themed class in the same series runs Dec 2.$135.00

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