by Felicia Rice, President of IMDI
Opening day and beautiful Casa Espiritualidad, aka Conventa de las Dominicas
The symposium participants arrived on a Sunday to discover that we would be spending the next week in a beautiful former Dominican convent and girl’s school, now a spiritual center. There were 87 participants from 19 countries, the largest group ever accommodated at the center, a real strain on staff and facilities. Nonetheless, we were all settled in our rooms and had a delicious dinner that evening. All week the menu had local flair: fish, mojo sauce, soups, and fresh fruits. There were so many of us that we had to eat all meals in two shifts of 45.
Hats off the Palma Christian and the crew of volunteers who facilitated everything, day after day. Alissa Allen of the IMDI came from Washington with Tess Stetter, who helped organize the last symposium, and there were others present who had hosted earlier symposia over the years. So there was a lot of experience and knowledge represented.
Field trips
The next morning I went on the walk in the finca, a park-like preserve just across the road and up the mountain. We encountered a flock of sheep with soft bells around their necks out enjoying the rain, a high point for me. We saw a few mushrooms, but it has been dry and the foraging was limited. Other field trips included a trip to a cochineal operation and a banana plantation, giving us a chance to see more of the island and the stunning views of the ocean from the overlooks. The climate and plant-life are a lot like central and southern California and very familiar.
Workshops
We were given individual schedules depending on what workshops we had signed up for, so each of us knew where to be at any given time. On Friday I taught a workshop on making an artist’s book using inks made with mushroom pigments. I printed the title page in Mendocino which I also used as for a poster to be given out the last day. There was a lot of prep for this but it went so smoothly. Julie Beeler (author of The Mushroom Color Atlas) taught a workshop on how to make lake pigments the day before and generously gave me her leftover pigments.
The dye baths were going full bore up on crest of the hill beyond the convent. Volunteers had gathered and dried enormous quantities of six mushrooms before the symposium to ensure there would be enough to work with. It was a herculean feat, given how dry the winter had been.
Film on Dorothy Beebee, “Try It and See” and IMDI Gallery
On Wednesday evening Dorothy’s film, Try It and See, was shown to an incredibly appreciative audience. At that time Alissa and I introduced everyone to the new IMDI Gallery which was up and running just in the nick of time. All of the participants were invited to upload photographs of their work to the gallery. At that time they can make a $20 donation to the IMDI which will go directly to increasing the IMDI travel grants which support those who would not be able to attend IFFF symposia without assistance.
The two recipients of the IMDI travel grants (still $600 but twice the number of grantees as in the past) were Pia Bergmann (scientist, mycologist, Germany) and Kristina Zimbakova (mountaineer, artist, Macedonia). They each gave very interesting presentations on their very different work with mushrooms and dyes. Kristina drew the press from Macedonia and her part is well represented online here. There were other super interesting presentations, again, some more scientific, some more artistic.
Exhibition and shop
The exhibition came together quickly and stunningly. To represent the IMDI, I brought a lovely cowl by Myra Beebee of the IMDI and my mom’s black felt hat sprouting a yellow chanterelle from the IMDA archive. I managed to get 21 copies of our book to the symposium with the help of Alissa and two others, Kris Nardello (Aptos, Ca) and Rowena Villarias (Ann Arbor, MI) and the books sold out.
The exhibition was held in a small rock lined room with glass along one wall and at certain times the light could not have been better for photographing all of the exquisite mushroomy colors. I took photos of everything in the exhibit and plan to get it all into the gallery, by hook or by crook. I’ll be writing to the greater group of participants soon, encouraging them to join in. Andreya Marks of the IMDI, always a pioneer, has successfully added her work in the gallery. Take a look here!
Closing with color ring, banquet, and announcement of location of next symposium in Latvia
We closed the symposium by lining up and gathering the traditional color sample ring. At the banquet that evening the location of the next symposium was announced. The recipient of our travel grant in Port Townsend in 2022, Diana Meiere, volunteered Latvia to host the next symposium in 2027!
Official website: https://www.iffs2025.info
