End-of-Season Lunch: A Celebration of Friendship, Culture and Community

Members gathered at ASPAS Café on La Rambla in Palma for our Society's traditional end-of-season lunch. It was a fitting venue to conclude another exceptionally active and rewarding year.

ASPAS Café is much more than a restaurant. Operated by Fundación ASPAS, it demonstrates that workplace inclusion is possible when the right conditions are created. Its mission goes beyond offering employment opportunities: it provides a supportive environment where people can develop their talents, gain autonomy and participate actively in society. The excellent food, friendly service and lively atmosphere made it the perfect setting for our gathering.

The atmosphere was certainly warm in every sense of the word. While the mobile air-conditioning units fought a brave battle against the heat of a Mallorcan summer day, members enjoyed good food, good company and even better conversation.

Looking back over the season, there was much to talk about. Over the past year we have enjoyed a remarkably rich cultural and social programme. Our excursions and visits included the Castillo de San Carlos in Palma, the home of Robert Graves in Deià, Can Prunera in Sóller, the Teixits Vicens textile workshop in Pollença, Sa Bassa Blanca in Alcúdia and the Casa Planas photographic archive in Palma. We explored Palma's historic streets on guided walks and visited outstanding exhibitions, including the memorable Cristóbal Hara photography exhibition at the Fundación Juan March Museum.

The season also saw the launch of our own Art Fusion format at the Artmadams Hotel, curated by Gudula Becker; visits to Nathalie Vin's mosaic exhibition opening at Anomalie Gallery in Palma; and the fascinating metalpoint exhibition at MA Arte Contemporáneo featuring works by Jeannine Cook.

Our popular "Meet the..." events introduced members to a diverse range of interesting personalities, including artist Yuko, writer Heather Smith and the former Lord Mayor of Westminster, among others.

And that list is far from complete.

All this took place in addition to the six evening lectures presented by the International Art Society's accredited speakers. As always, each lecture was followed by a tapas and drinks reception, providing members with the opportunity to continue discussions, ask questions and enjoy the company of fellow members.

By the time we gathered for our end-of-season lunch, many friendships had been formed and strengthened through these shared experiences. This was not simply a members' lunch; it was a lunch among friends.

A big thank you to Jane Falla for organising it all!

Now it is time for a well-earned summer break.

The new season begins in September, and we are already looking forward to another exciting programme of lectures, visits, exhibitions and social events.

Please visit our website regularly for News and upcoming Events.

We wish all our members a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you again in September.

Photos by Gail Davies and Gudula Becker