MMB Creative Steward of Family Stories

27/08/2026

One day to go.

Tomorrow evening we open the doors to the Live Preview of What We're Made Of, an exhibition that explores cultural identity, family heritage, and the stories that connect us across generations.

Join us between 6.00pm and 8.00pm at Rugby Art Gallery & Museum for a first look at the exhibition before it opens to the public.

On the evening you can:
• Meet artists Malen Mendoza-Baxter, Anna Legaspi and Raphy Legaspi.
• Experience three unique artistic perspectives on identity, belonging and cultural inheritance.
• Watch our documentary introducing the rich history and culture of the Philippines.
• Learn more about our accompanying Cultural Heritage Storytelling Workshop.
• Connect with others over light refreshments.

Whether you have Filipino roots or simply enjoy meaningful art and conversation, everyone is welcome.

🎟️ Register to attend the Live Preview:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1995458104908?aff=oddtdtcreator

📍 Rugby Art Gallery & Museum
🕕 Tomorrow | 6.00pm to 8.00pm

Find out more:
https://what-we-are-made-of.my.canva.site/art-exhibit

Register for the Storytelling Workshop:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-were-made-of-a-cultural-heritage-storytelling-workshop-tickets-1995306107279?aff=oddtdtcreator

Exhibition open 25th August to 5th September.

We look forward to welcoming you.

23/08/2026

Meet the Artists! ❤️

I'm Malen Mendoza-Baxter, one of the three artists behind What We're Made Of, two of whom I've introduced in my previous posts. My daughters, Anna and Raphy.

I'm a mother of three, an artist at heart, and the founder of MMB Creative. Much of my work centres on helping people reconnect with their roots, strengthen their identity, and preserve the stories that shape who they are.

For What We're Made Of, my focus is on cultural identity. As a Filipino living in the UK, this exhibition is our way of celebrating our heritage, sharing the richness of our history, and opening conversations about belonging, identity, and what connects us across generations.

I'd love to welcome you to the exhibition.

📍 What We're Made Of
🗓 25 August to 5 September
📍 Rugby Art Gallery & Museum
🎟 Free admission

✨ If this resonates with you, please share this post and invite someone who would enjoy discovering the exhibition with you.

For more information about the exhibit, visit:

https://what-we-are-made-of.my.canva.site/art-exhibit

To join the Storytelling Workshop, register here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-were-made-of-a-cultural-heritage-storytelling-workshop-tickets-1995306107279?aff=oddtdtcreator

21/08/2026

Every family has a story. Every story deserves to be remembered. ❤️

As part of the What We're Made Of exhibition, MMB Creative invites you to experience a Cultural Heritage Storytelling Workshop.

This is an opportunity to pause, reflect, and explore the people, places, traditions, and experiences that have shaped your identity. Through guided storytelling and conversation, you'll discover how the stories we inherit, and the ones we choose to tell, strengthen our sense of belonging and connect us across generations.

You don't need to be a writer or a storyteller. Just bring your curiosity, your memories, and an open heart. Share photographs from your childhood, memories of the place you once called home, or stories about the people who have had a lasting influence on your life.

As part of the workshop, participants will be invited to record a short personal story on video. These recordings will form part of a community archive celebrating our diverse stories and cultural heritage. This will be a valuable source of information for future generations to cherish, keep, and treasure.

Whether your roots are in the Philippines, the UK, or anywhere else in the world, every story matters.

📍 What We're Made Of: A Cultural Heritage Storytelling Workshop
🗓 Friday, 4 September
📍 Rugby Art Gallery & Museum
🎟 Free to attend (Booking essential. There are only 8 places available.)

✨ Come and explore your story. You may be surprised by what you discover.

18/08/2026

Meet the Artist! ❤️

I'd love to introduce you to my daughter, Anna. She's one of us, three artists behind What We're Made Of.

I believe the artist behind every creative work deserves more than just a signature on their work. They deserve to be acknowledged as who they are as "real" people.

I don't expect anyone to know who they are in two minutes. But it will give you a feel for who they are.

Meet Anna Legaspi.
________

If you're curious about Filipino history, love discovering new artists, or simply enjoy exhibitions that make you think and feel, we'd love to welcome you.

📍 What We're Made Of
🗓 25 August to 5 September
📍 Rugby Art Gallery & Museum
🎟 Free admission

✨ Tag a friend who'd enjoy this exhibition, and if you're planning to visit, let us know in the comments. We'd love to welcome you.
For more information about the exhibit, visit:
https://what-we-are-made-of.my.canva.site/art-exhibit

To join the Storytelling Workshop, register here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-were-made-of-a-cultural-heritage-storytelling-workshop-tickets-1995306107279?aff=oddtdtcreator


"

16/08/2026

Meet the Artist! ❤️

This is my youngest daughter, Raphy. She's one of the three artists behind our art exhibition, What We're Made Of.

Every artist brings something uniquely their own to a piece of work. I believe they deserve more than being known for their name or their signature on a piece of their work. They need to be seen for who they are as real people.

I don't expect anyone to get to know Raphy in two minutes, but this is how I see my daughter. Hopefully, it will give you a glimpse into the person behind the art.

Meet Raphy Mendoza.

If you're curious about Filipino history, love discovering new artists, or simply enjoy exhibitions that make you think and feel, we'd love to welcome you.

📍 What We're Made Of
🗓 25 August to 6 September
📍 Rugby Art Gallery & Museum
🎟 Free admission

✨ Tag a friend who'd enjoy this exhibition, and if you're planning to visit, let us know in the comments. We'd love to welcome you.

"

15/08/2026

Your Invitation to the Private Preview

The most untapped well of power, we have found, is in exploring, acknowledging, and honouring our roots.

Our family lineage.
Our heritage.
Our ancestry.
Our homelands.

For many of us, life creates layers of separation. From family. From culture. From the land itself. And for those of us living in the diaspora, that distance can shape our sense of identity and belonging.

But if we're open, there's an invitation waiting for us.

To remember.

RE = Return, again.
MEMBER = Part of one whole.

To remember is to recognise that beneath the pain, the grief, the joy, and the stories we carry, we remain connected. Connected to those who came before us, to one another, and to ourselves.

In our search for home, perhaps we are already home.

What We're Made Of is an invitation to return to our roots, reflect on what has shaped us, and rediscover the threads that connect us all.

We couldn't think of a better way to explore this than together, as mother and daughters, and we would be honoured to share that journey with you.

P.S. Ten per cent of proceeds from artwork sales will be donated to The PKD Charity, an organisation that has supported our family as each of us navigates different stages of Polycystic Kidney Disease.

📆 Exhibition Opening Night:
28th August, 6-8pm l Rugby Art Gallery and Museum

Exhibition Open 25th August - 5th September

Please reserve your place here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1995458104908?aff=oddtdtcreator

We look forward to sharing this special evening with you.

For more information about the exhibit, visit:
https://what-we-are-made-of.my.canva.site/art-exhibit

To join the Storytelling Workshop, register here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-were-made-of-a-cultural-heritage-storytelling-workshop-tickets-1995306107279?aff=oddtdtcreator

13/08/2026

Are We More Connected Than Ever?

We can speak to someone on the other side of the world in seconds.

But how well do we know the people living just a few doors away?

Technology has transformed the way we communicate, yet many people feel more disconnected than ever.

Messages are not conversations.
Followers are not friendships.
And online interactions can never fully replace genuine human connection.

Belonging is built through shared experiences, listening, storytelling, and time spent together. It's found around the dinner table, in conversations with grandparents, neighbours who stop for a chat, and communities that know and care for one another.

I believe every story shared strengthens the threads that connect us, whether within our families or across our communities.

Perhaps our greatest challenge isn't creating better technology.
Perhaps it's making time to reconnect with the people already around us.

If this resonates with you, I've explored the idea in more depth in my latest article.

📖 Read it here:
https://mmbcreative.net/rebuilding-human-bonds-in-modern-society/

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

What helps you feel most connected, to your family, your neighbours, or your community?

We live in the most technologically advanced age in human history, so far. Never before have we had so many ways to communicate with one another. We went from postal letters and telegrams to operator-handled telephones, hands-free phones, international calls, and then to email, MSN Messenger, FaceTi...

11/08/2026

Three years.

My brother passed away on 11 August 2023 after his battle with pancreatic cancer.

We were born just 13 months apart and were completely different in so many ways. He was quiet. I wasn't. He was an engineer. I studied Mass Communication. We argued as children, then became the closest of siblings as adults.

A few months before he died, my sisters and I travelled to Texas to spend precious time together. We laughed, shared meals, remembered our childhood, and talked late into the night.

Those are the moments I hold onto.

I've learned that losing a sibling is like losing part of your childhood. Someone who remembers your earliest years in a way nobody else can.

The missing never really goes away. It simply changes shape.

Hold your people close. ❤️

If grief is something you're carrying right now, please know you don't have to walk through it alone. Sarah Brason offers thoughtful, compassionate bereavement support for those finding their way after loss. Find her here: https://www.facebook.com/TheGriefNavigator

09/08/2026

As parents, we often measure success by our children's achievements. Yet perhaps the greater joy is seeing the values we've nurtured reflected in the people they grow into.

"What We're Made Of" celebrates more than three artists exhibiting together. It celebrates family, identity, cultural heritage, and the creative threads that connect generations.

For me, exhibiting alongside my daughters is deeply personal. It represents years of growth, resilience, creativity, and shared experiences that have brought us to this point.

Through paintings, historical storytelling, and a community storytelling workshop, we hope to invite visitors to reflect on their own roots, the people who shaped them, and the stories worth preserving.

Because every family has a story worth telling.

If you'd like to experience the exhibition or join our storytelling workshop, we'd love to welcome you.

📍 Rugby Art Gallery & Museum
📅 25 August to 5 September

For more information about the exhibit, visit:
https://what-we-are-made-of.my.canva.site/art-exhibit

To join the Storytelling Workshop, register here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-were-made-of-a-cultural-heritage-storytelling-workshop-tickets-1995306107279?aff=oddtdtcreator

04/08/2026

Every family has stories that deserve more than a place in a forgotten photo album.

Behind every photograph is a memory. A celebration. A sacrifice. A lesson. A moment that shaped who we are today.

That's why I created this short video:
7 Reasons to Create a Family Heritage Coffee Table Book

It's about more than preserving photographs. It's about preserving identity, strengthening belonging, and passing on the stories that future generations will never find on the back of a printed photo.

If you've ever wondered what will happen to your family photographs and stories one day, this video is for you.

🎥 Watch the reel here:
https://mmbcreative.net/7-reasons-to-create-a-family-heritage-coffee-table-book/

If it resonates with you, I'd love you to share it with someone who treasures family history as much as you do.