Media Release: Award-Winning Author & “Mumologist” Amy J. Schultz Available as Content Expert on the Deeply-Rooted Tradition of Homecoming Mums in Texas
EXPERT AVAILABLE: HOMECOMING MUM HISTORIAN
HOW HOMECOMING MUMS BECAME A TRADITION BIGGER THAN TEXAS: Award-Winning Author Amy J. Schultz Explains the Deeply-Rooted Tradition of Homecoming Mums in Texas
Media Contact: Autumn Rose Reo, The Reo Agency, 940-367-0295, autumn@thereoagency.com
FORT WORTH, Texas (August 3, 2026) — There’s nothing more Texas than Friday night football, except perhaps the homecoming mums that sweep through every high school homecoming celebration across the Lone Star State. This totally Texas tradition, which began over 110 years ago as a simple chrysanthemum corsage, has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry and an over-the-top cultural phenomenon that continues to evolve in surprising ways.
Award-winning author, photographer and the “World’s Only Mumologist” Amy J. Schultz is available to speak on the following:
Trends in Mums for 2026: How fashion, the economy, and hyper-local customs do (and don’t) influence homecoming mums
History of homecoming and homecoming mums
Economic impact of homecoming mums
Women-run small businesses drive homecoming mum supply and demand
More than just me: "Team Mums" capture school pride and the Guinness World Record
The spread of homecoming mums outside of Texas
Senior mums and how they have become homecoming mum “thought leaders”
How mums can be mumentous without spending a lot of money
New to Texas? How newcomers are adopting–and influencing–the mum tradition
Photos, graphics and video are available to accompany stories, by request.
More About Amy J. Schultz
What started as a series of photographs by Amy J. Schultz has become a long-running study of the complicated evolution and multi-faceted world of homecoming mums in Texas.
Her original photographs, oral histories, an 18-foot tall mum created by Whataburger, and other multi-media pieces were first exhibited as a collection by the Arlington Museum of Art in 2019 during her tenure as the museum’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence. With the overwhelming popularity of the exhibit, media attention, and the outpouring of people sharing personal experiences, Schultz continued her research and exploration into the tradition until, in 2023, Atmosphere Press published her award-winning book, MUMENTOUS.
Schultz’s on-going commitment to the subject matter has inspired two traveling exhibits including the original multi-media art exhibition curated by the Arlington Museum of Art and a cultural heritage panel exhibit hosted by the Texas Lakes Trail Region of the Texas Historical Commission.
Upcoming Events
Visit the Events Calendar for 2026 talks by the author, plus information about the Mumentous panel exhibit installations at the Eastland County Museum (July 23-Sept. 5) and the Carrollton Public Library (Sept. 8 - Oct. 31).
Book Details
"An entertaining, brilliantly shot look at a Texas high school tradition... With this book, Schultz sets out to explore—through stories and photographs—the culture of mums: how the tradition originated, how it has changed over the years, and what it means for the schools, students, parents, and communities who participate. It's a tale rooted in a particularly Texan love of maximalism, but one that also tells a larger story of the human need for ritual and pageantry. Schultz's spirited prose vividly captures the colors and textures of the mums and their wearers..."
— Kirkus Reviews
Click to download the One Sheet
Book Title: MUMENTOUS: Original Photos and Mostly True Stories about Football, Glue Guns, Moms, and a Supersized High School Tradition that was Born Deep in the Heart of Texas
Author: Amy J. Schultz
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, Texas culture, Women’s Studies, Oral Histories
ISBN: 978-1-63988-565-7
Available in: eBook, Audiobook and Hardcover (Case Laminate)
Page count: 186
Social Media: instagram.com/txhocomum, facebook.com/txhocomum, #mumentousbook
