The Robin Nance Metz Gallery at MPC
Highlighting and celebrating local artists at Montevallo Presbyterian Church on Shelby Street.
"Sharing the Gifts of Local Artists with Others"
View our past exhibitors' artwork on our ARTISTS' ARCHIVE page.
Montevallo Presbyterian Church sees art as a form of ministry, and it doesn't have to be religious by nature, paraphrasing Tonia Mayton, who serves as our curator for the Robin Nance Metz Gallery at MPC. The goal of the art gallery, which will feature different artists every other month, is to highlight local artists, as well as art students from the University of Montevallo and other local schools.
The art gallery allows MPC to more fully utilize the space in the church, while striving to be good stewards of the property. Our church welcomes other into our space, whether it's for Sunday worship service, the art gallery, our Threshold initiative, PFLAG meetings, or a number of other ways that allow us to welcome members of the community.
Artists that are interested in showing their work in MPC's art gallery can inquire using the form at the bottom of this page to be connected with Tonia Mayton regarding open dates and all the details.
Read more about the Robin Nance Metz Art Gallery at MPC in this article that appeared in the Shelby County Reporter.
Robin Nance Metz Gallery Featured Artist
October-November 2025
Tonia Eden Mayton - View Tonia's Art
My father taught me how to use a camera when I was a teenager. Naturally, I went on to art school and graduated with a B.F.A. in photography from Arizona State University in 2004. While at ASU, my excellent professors introduced me to alternative processes in photographic arts and fiber arts. I was captivated by both handmade processes when the world was becoming more digital.
Cyanotype printing is a very physical act that involves mixing light sensitive chemicals in a darkened room, coating a surface that will then be exposed by UV light, and then washing out the unexposed chemicals with water. What is left is a simple print of blue that I produced with the power of the sun. Recording all of the elements of the natural world around me that bring me so much joy are what I wish to share with others.
My journey into indigo really began more than a decade ago. I became obsessed with this plant-based blue hue. The slow folding and binding of the fabric, the bubbles and sheen of the bloom in the vat, and the oxidation that takes effect after removing the fiber for the first time all stir something very primitive in me. However, it wasn’t until this year that I became curious enough to order Japanese Indigo (Persicaria Tinctoria) seeds and start a dye garden of my own. The hands-on experience of growing this year’s crop and then experimenting with how to extract the indigo molecules from the leaves has been such an exciting and new challenge for me!
If you would like to share your artistic talent with the community, contact us to get the conversation and process started.