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Scented Encounters: An Olfactory Dialogue between Museums
Joint Exhibition for International Museum Day 518

Every year on May 18, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) celebrates International Museum Day (IMD). The 2025 theme, “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities,” explores how museums can respond to and contribute amidst rapid changes in society, technology, and the environment. In this ever-evolving era, museums are not only spaces for preserving tangible and intangible heritage, but also platforms for creating cultural value, connecting with the public, and promoting sustainable and inclusive cultural life.

In response to the unique role of museums in society, the National Museum of Natural Science, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and Li-Fu Museum of Chinese Medicine are continuing the collaborative 518 Museum Day events from 2024. This year, the Asia University Museum of Modern Art joins the partnership to launch the project themed "Scented Encounters: An Olfactory Dialogue between Museums." The event creatively connects with Dragon Boat Festival traditions through the making of scented sachets.

With four museums, four hands-on sessions, four scents, and four playful themes, each venue will design a unique scented sachet activity reflecting its own character:

• Anti-anxiety Sachet

• Mosquito-repellent Sachet

• Immune-boosting Sachet

• Protective Charm Sachet

Participants are invited to experience sachet-making onsite. Visitors who attend activities at three or more institutions will receive a special “Scented Encounters Surprise Kit,” bringing them closer to museums through fragrances that linger in the air.

■ Event Schedule
 Dates: May 11 (Sun), May 17 (Sat), May 18 (Sun), May 25 (Sun)
 Locations (in chronological order):

• Asia University Museum of Modern Art

• National Museum of Natural Science

• Li-Fu Museum of Chinese Medicine

• National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
   Target Audience: General Public
   Registration: Opens April 25 (Fri); follow each museum’s individual registration or participation guidelines.

Asia University Museum of Modern Art

Scented Encounters: Meeting Leaves – Anti-Anxiety Sachet × Art Therapy
Date: May 11 (Sun), 14:00–16:00
Registration: Online (limited seats) via AUAM website / Facebook / Instagram
Fee: NT$700 per group (up to 2 people), includes:

• Two VIP admission tickets (valued at NT$250 each, valid on the event day)

• One fragrance kit, sachet materials, and perfume bottle
  ???? Recommended for: Age 6 to 99 – perfect for parent-child, senior, or art-loving participants

Activity Overview:
This Mother’s Day season, bring someone special—your mom, a loved one, or even yourself—for a sensory journey of healing through scent and art. Begin by exploring the exhibition “The Song of Time: Yeh Tzu-Chi’s Special Exhibition,” immersing yourself in the poetic aromas hidden within her forested canvases. Guided by a fragrance expert, participants will blend their own signature scent and infuse it into a diffuser shaped like a “wave breaker”—a playful reinterpretation of a local Taichung symbol affectionately nicknamed the “Central Taiwan Rice Dumpling.” The session concludes with sealing your scent and emotion into a poetic sachet printed with lines by Yeh Tzu-Chi—a heartfelt gift for someone you cherish, or for your own self-care.

National Museum of Natural Science

The Scent Notes of Plants
Date: May 17 (Sat), 09:30–11:00 & 15:00–16:30
Venue: Botanical Garden, NMNS
Registration: Online (limited seats)
Fee: NT$150 per person
Target Audience: General Public

Activity Overview:
In response to the IMD 2025 theme, NMNS invites participants to explore the botanical world through smell. Through a guided tour in the Botanical Garden, visitors will identify plants by scent and texture, learning about the diverse applications of aromatic flora. Participants will also create their own scented sachet, discovering the cultural and everyday relevance of plant-based scents.

Li-Fu Museum of Chinese Medicine

Scents of Healing – Traditional Chinese Sachets for Disease Prevention
Date: May 18 (Sun), 09:00–17:00
Venue: 1F Lobby, Li-Fu Museum of Chinese Medicine (CMU campus, Taichung)
Fee: Free
Target Audience: General Public, Families, and TCM Culture Enthusiasts

Activity Overview:
Ancient medical texts note the power of aromatic herbs in preventing disease: “Fragrant herbs eliminate miasma” (《Classic of Mountains and Seas》). In celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival, this event revisits the tradition of making medicinal sachets, believed to strengthen immunity and ward off illnesses. Participants will learn the principles of scent-based TCM, explore the properties of aromatic herbs, and create their own sachets through hands-on workshops—rediscovering the health philosophy behind holiday rituals.

National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Scented Encounters: Guardian Sachets for Early Summer
Date: May 25 (Sun), 11:00–17:00
Venue: Multimedia Lecture Hall, NTMoFA
Fee: Free
Target Audience: General Public

Activity Overview:
As summer begins, a season of rituals and transitions arrives. Inspired by the festive themes in Liao Shiou-Ping’s “Festival Gate,” this event transforms folk traditions into a creative sachet-making experience. Symbolizing blessings and protection, the Guardian Sachet channels wishes for safety, good fortune, and spiritual harmony.

Event details may be updated. Please refer to each museum’s official website or social media for the latest information.