Events

Join us for an exciting evening where art and fragrance collide! Led by art historian and fragrance expert Jessica Murphy, this interactive session will take you on a journey through the fascinating connection between floral imagery in Western art and the fragrant ingredients in perfumery.

For centuries, perfumers have worked to capture the essence of flowers and plants, while visual artists have sought to represent scent, often using flowers, to evoke olfactory experiences. During our fun and engaging evening, we'll dive into how Western artists have used floral imagery not only to represent scent but also to convey deeper meanings like spirituality, social status, and emotions in everything from religious icons to still life paintings.

In the second half of the evening, we'll explore a selection of paintings from the Timken collection, pairing them with aromatic materials for a truly immersive, multi-sensory experience. Get ready to see and smell how art can truly "say it with flowers!"

About the Speaker: 

Jessica Murphy, Ph. D., is an art historian and museum professional with a passion for perfume: her work connects art, fragrance, history, and popular culture. She started writing about fragrance for the blog Now Smell This in 2007 and over the past decade she has lectured about the culture of scent through various venues including the Institute for Art and Olfaction, the Brooklyn Brainery, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Corning Museum of Glass.

Program:
4:00 - 4:30 - Wine & Hors d’Oeuvres Reception
4:30 - 5:15 - Part One: Conversation with Jessica Murphy
5:15 - 5:30 - Dessert Intermission
5:30 - 6:30 - Part Two: Interactive Multi-Sensory Experience

$105 Non-Members | $95 Members