With roots at the AMA, a “MUMENTOUS” cultural heritage exhibit blooms
In 2019, the AMA debuted Mumentous, a collection of 60 photographs, narratives, and mixed media pieces by Amy Schultz, the museum’s first artist-in-residence. The exhibit explored the ubiquitously Texas tradition of high school homecoming mums.
What do artists-in-residence do after their residency? They keep creating! That’s just what Amy did, and earlier this year, Atmosphere Press published her book, Mumentous. The memoir-style collection of “original photos and mostly-true stories” is as much a salute to women in their roles as tradition-keepers as an exploration of the mums themselves.
Meanwhile, a cultural heritage traveling exhibit based on Amy’s research was just launched by the Texas Lakes Trail Region, an initiative of the Texas Historical Commission. The exhibit consists of 40 panels that feature Amy’s original photography, as well as archive photos from the University of Texas Libraries Special Collections. Every photograph is captioned with narratives about the evolution of mums and their cultural significance today.
Mumentous is on display in the Tower Gallery in Grapevine, TX from now until October 14, 2023. In addition to the traveling exhibit, visitors can see an impressive collection of vintage and modern mums, cheerleading uniforms, letterman jackets, yearbooks, spirit items, and other memorabilia on loan to the gallery from many local residents. After the exhibit closes in Grapevine, the panels of the exhibit will travel to other communities across North Texas, and the memorabilia will return home.
Click here for information about the Grapevine exhibit.
Amy is currently serving as Senior Writer/Editor for the Arlington Museum of Art.
