Valentine’s weekend strikes horror into the hearts of many — whether couples trying to achieve the ultimate romantic experience or singles who feel suffocated by so many pink hearts. But people in both groups can find an appealing alternative in an all-you-can-sniff buffet, courtesy of the new Scent Lending Library in Georgetown.
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Housed in a deep storefront window at Fogue Gallery on Airport Way South, the Scent Lending Library is part art installation, part science lab and part interactive olfactory lesson.
It’s the brainchild (nosechild?) of Australian olfactory artist Donna Lipowitz, a former filmmaker who has turned her attention to “sharing stories in other sensory forms,” as she says on her website.
Lipowitz began studying perfumery in 2019, and during my recent visit to the Scent Lending Library explained that the shared collection is her way of replicating the joy she experienced in the beginning of her studies — when she got to smell everything out there.
Hence: You’ll find some 140 scents, dabbed on little cotton balls inside apothecary bottles, all free for the sniffing. If you sign up for a library card, you can check out up to three scents for two weeks (bonus: you get to stamp your own old-school Due Date card).
Some of the scents are already existing fragrances from larger perfume companies, such as Chanel No. 5 (all checked out), Beautiful (which I thought smelled like aerosol hairspray) and American Psycho (which I found troublingly appealing).
Some bottles contain scent “molecules,” which are the basic building blocks used to make fragrances. Others hold scents Lipowitz has concocted herself, including God’s Sweat (divine), Lost Luggage (slight hint of vinyl), Pencil Case (nostalgic memory of lead shavings) and It’ll Be Okay (amorphous sense of calm; I checked it out).
Lipowitz (who is now based in Seattle) deliberately does not label the scents with their components, to allow for creative and personal interpretation. “Whatever you think it smells like, you’re right,” she said. But she is very good at naming: Warm Bulb smells hot and slightly smoky; Home Garage is giving fresh tires.
Several people were sniffing scents and sharing impressions when I was there, and the cozy, artsy space does have the communal feeling of a library. Lipowitz said it tends to get crowded on Saturdays, “But just sniff what you can. You can always speed-sniff.”
The storefront window space will stay in place through March (open Thurs-Sun, noon-5 p.m.) — after which, Lipowitz told me, the Scent Lending Library will move to a permanent location further inside Fogue gallery. Which is good news for noses.
Legendary martial artist Bruce Lee will be honored with a new USPS Forever stamp, which will be mailbox-ready next week. Designed by Brooklyn artist Kam Mak, who created an original egg-tempera painting based on historic photos, the image depicts the Chinese American actor and athlete mid-air while executing his trademark flying kick.
The first-day-of-issue ceremony takes place at Seattle’s Nippon Kan Theater (Feb. 18, 2 p.m.), just a few blocks away from the Wing Luke Museum — where you can learn about Lee’s extensive Seattle connections in the permanent exhibit Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee.
And adding to the local Bruce Lee bonanza is Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story, the new play by acclaimed Seattle playwright Keiko Green (at Seattle Children’s Theater, Feb. 19 - Mar. 22). Combining biographical details with moments of surreal staging, the story (ages 8+) focuses on Lee’s early life as an immigrant in Seattle, where he began honing his martial art teachings and personal philosophy.
As I reported in a recent newsletter, the play was previously scheduled for a run at the Kennedy Center, which SCT has cancelled. Many performers have canceled appearances at the Washington D.C. venue since President Trump’s board takeover; last week the Kennedy Center announced a sudden two-year closure for renovations.
Seattle stages, on the other hand, are buzzing with performance — some of which are astutely aligned with the (Hallmark designated) season of love.
Opening on Valentine’s Day at Union Arts Center (formerly ACT Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Feb. 14 - Mar. 8) is one of the original rom-coms, courtesy of the Bard himself. Led by veteran Shakespeare director Desdemona Chiang, the play is full of star-crossed lovers, mistaken identity hijinks and (spoiler alert from the 17th century) a triple wedding.
Taproot Theatre is taking us even further back, presenting the myth of Cupid and Psyche: Till We Have Faces (through Feb. 28). Based on C.S. Lewis’s retelling, as adapted by Taproot artistic director Karen Lund, the ages-old story is told from the perspective of Psyche’s sister Orual. On the docket: jealousy, faith, doubt and of course love — be it selfish, selfless or divine.
Speaking of complicated sibling relationships… On the Boards is hosting the West Coast premiere of Rose: You Are Who You Eat (Feb. 19-21), a cabaret-style “musical shrine” to a twin consumed in utero. Philadelphia-based performer Rose Jarboe combines songs, video projections, clever wordplay and gruesome description of in-utero cannibalism in this campy exploration of gender origins.
At Town Hall, a threesome of fearsome Seattle actors offers Letters Aloud: Love Me or Leave Me (Feb. 14). In this series, presenters read actual — and often cringey — letters written by famous folks, from Frida Kahlo to Marlon Brando. On stage for this lovelorn edition: Basil Harris, Jen Taylor, Paul Morgan Stetler and accordionist Jamie Maschler.
And coming soon to Seattle Opera is Fellow Travelers (Feb. 21-28), based on the 2007 historical-fiction novel by Thomas Mallon. Set during the McCarthy Era’s “lavender scare,” the story follows two men who spark a romance while working for the federal government. Their love burns brightly (Seattle Opera gives it an R-rating for onstage nudity), but is threatened by rampant homophobia. Having premiered 10 years ago, the story’s politics, paranoia and persecution resonate loud and clear.
Finally, there’s Anima Mundi (Feb. 14 at The Moore Theatre), the new multimedia piece by longtime Seattle performance art collective Degenerate Art Ensemble. Featuring avant garde dance (by Haruko Crow Nishimura), live electronic music (by Joshua Kohl), film projection and morphing sculptures, the piece is a sort of haunted love letter to the natural world, so often jilted by humans.
Check out Season 2 of our tv show Art by Northwest, featuring in-depth interviews with the printmakers, painters, sculptors, carvers and photographers who are creating captivating work across Washington state.
