This October, Museums & Galleries Month, the Ayala Museum and Filipinas Heritage Library are presenting new exhibitions and programs for art, history and culture enthusiasts.  

Ayala Museum welcomes visitors with friendlier admission rates. Visitors may also choose how they want to explore, whether by floor or through a full-access pass to all museum levels.

At ₱500 for full access to the 4F-2F floor for local Filipino citizens, with options to pay per floor of the museum, visitors may now enjoy flexible and affordable ways to experience the museum and three ongoing exhibitions, including Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila.

Presented by Ayala Museum together with the Embassy of Spain, Instituto Cervantes, and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, and curated by Tenten Mina, Mezcla: Interwoven Cultures and the Mantón de Manila explores the multicultural roots and enduring significance of the Manila shawl, and features over 38 mantones from rare 19th-century pieces to modern embroidered examples.

Originating as silk export ware from China, traded through Manila across the Pacific, and embraced in Spain as a symbol of elegance and identity, the mantón embodies centuries of cultural exchange. Visitors may try macramé knot-tying, design paper shawls, and solve puzzles in an interactive space, or step into a self-shoot studio wearing a traditional mantón. 

Another exhibition, Zóbel Proto Saeta: Exploring Abstract Language, traces Spanish-Filipino artist Fernando Zóbel’s journey from figurative works to abstraction. Curated by Ditas Samson, it highlights bold, colorful, and powerful early explorations of modern abstraction, leading to Zóbel’s Saeta series — works that laid the foundation of his later achievements. 

Today, Oct. 18, curator Samson leads a discussion on Zóbel’s early abstractions, giving audiences deeper insight into the development of the artist’s iconic Saeta series.

Both exhibitions will be on view until Feb. 22, 2026.

Meanwhile, Of Grit and Steel: BPI’s Commitment to Nation Building, which was launched for Bank of the Philippine Islands’ 174th anniversary, showcases the strength of metal as a medium through works by National Artist Napoleon Abueva, Solomon Saprid, and Julie Lluch. Curated by Kenneth Esguerra, these pieces reflect on themes of family, history, and cultural identity in shaping the Filipino experience. 

The exhibition ends on Nov. 16.

There’s also a final screening of Song of the Fireflies and a talkback session with its cast and directors today, Oct. 18. Presented under the Ayala Museum and Filipinas Heritage Library’s Pamana ng Pilipino program, Song of the Fireflies tells the inspiring origin story of the world-renowned Loboc Children’s Choir. 

For bookings and more information, visit ayalamuseum.org/visit. Follow @ayalamuseum on social media for the latest updates and behind-the-scenes content this Museums & Galleries Month.

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