The Photographic Performance was created to feature the works of artists with completed bodies of work and a strong narrative. Amy Schultz’s exhibition The Nativity Project is the fourth of four performances to be exhibited during 2026. Amy’s exhibition is discussed in this GalleryTalk.
Artist Statement
The Nativity Project by Amy J. Schultz is a cross-country exploration of culture, faith, and place.
Spanning all fifty states and Washington, D.C., the collection features the artist’s photographs of outdoor nativity scenes and excerpts from her field journal, gathered over nearly a decade of travel.
Like nesting dolls, journeys unfold within journeys throughout The Nativity Project. The Biblical story of Jesus’ birth follows the journeys of Mary and Joseph, the wise men, and the shepherds. Each nativity echoes those movements, reflecting the collective beliefs held by Christians worldwide and the intimate act of placing a manger scene in one’s own yard.
Through her lens, Schultz turns each scene into a vignette of discovery, shaped by the journey of choices she makes about what to hold within the frame. Each nativity interacts with its surroundings, inviting questions about regional identity, socio-economic factors, the natural environment, and the ways creativity, traditions, and devotion intertwine.
Since beginning The Nativity Project in 2016, Schultz and her husband have traveled more than 37,000 miles together by car and plane. She has shot thousands of photographs, conducted numerous interviews, and studied the evolution of the outdoor nativity in American life. Only after completing her final image in 2023 did she begin to see the full shape of her own journey.
“After I shot the final photo, I needed to step away,” Schultz reflects. “Only recently have I returned to my collection and writings. That incubation period showed me the difference between seeing and seeking. Seeing is physiological, a collaboration between our eyes and brain to perceive the world. Seeking is purposeful and goal-oriented, such as when someone says they’re ‘seeking the truth.’ The Nativity Project is a reminder of how essential it is to do both—because one illuminates the other.”
Amy Schultz, 2026
Bio
Amy J. Schultz is a writer, editor, and award-winning author and photographer who illuminates stories that hide in plain sight. Even her studio practice name, unplain jane studio, suggests her artistic point of view.
“What we overlook, normalize, or dismiss in modern culture often has profound meaning,” said Schultz. “Through my work, I strive to transform life’s details into art, and art into aha moments with humor, insight, and an observant eye.”
Schultz’s photographs have been shown in juried festival across the United States, in several North Texas galleries, and the Arlington Museum of Art in Arlington, TX.
Amy served as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the Arlington Museum of Art. In that role, she debuted a multi-media exhibition entitled MUMENTOUS: The Upsizing of a Texas Tradition. MUMENTOUS is both an artistic and sociological exploration of a deeply rooted and unique Texas high school tradition: the exchange of large artificial “corsages” at homecoming games. Amy employed a variety of creative mediums to tell a compelling story of the driving forces behind the practice, including her original photography, narratives, audio, video, digital, and a community-driven installation of over 90 mums and garters. In 2026, the collection traveled to San Antonio for exhibition at the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures.
From 2020-2022, Amy co-produced Sociability, an Arlington-based monthly digital magazine. The magazine engaged a broad spectrum of contributor voices in topics of local interest including servant leadership, community engagement, arts, altruism, and personal growth.
In 2023, Atmosphere Press (Austin, TX) published Amy’s first book, MUMENTOUS, which features many photographs from her multi-media exhibition as well as “stories about football, glue guns, moms, and a supersized high school tradition that was born deep in the heart of Texas.” Later that year, Amy’s book was adapted into an award-winning, traveling cultural heritage panel exhibit by the Texas Lakes Trail Region, a program of the Texas Historical Commission. The following year, Atmosphere Press released MUMENTOUS as an audiobook.
Today, Amy is devoted full-time to her studio practice, collaborating with clients, writing a series of photo essays based on The Nativity Project, volunteering, and other creative endeavors. Learn more about Amy at unplainjanestudio.com.
website: unplainjanestudio.com
instagram: @amy_unplainjane
link to exhibition catalogue