the bomb is a groundbreaking multimedia installation that immerses audiences in the strange, compelling and unsettling reality of nuclear weapons.
Since General Groves and Robert Oppenheimer arrived in New Mexico in late 1942 to establish the Manhattan Project, the danger has only increased. The world is confronted by the nine nations that possess about 12,000 nuclear weapons. And those nations are modernizing their arsenals, including the United States at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the only facility with the capabilities to fabricate the triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons.
During this time artists have played an increasing vital role in confronting the nuclear threat. They capture its dangers, its absurdities and the ever-present sense of impending nuclear catastrophe.
the bomb is presented in three parts: a one-hour long film, a two-day symposium and a month-long installation exhibit, all taking place at or near the Zimmerman Library on the University of New Mexico (UNM) campus. There is no admission fee. The events will not be livestreamed. UTF-8UNM_THE BOMB UNIVERSITY TOUR Press Release
the bomb was created by Smriti Keshari and Eric Schlosser and is on an international tour. The stop at UNM is unique in that the lectures, class visits and the exhibition focus on university students.
On Wednesday, April 30th, the bomb, a one-hour long film, places the viewer in the middle of the nuclear weapons story – from the July 16, 1945 Trinity Test in New Mexico to the threats to destroy all life on Planet Earth. It has been described as “stunning…unique and dazzling” by Entertainment Weekly, and “not so much a film as it is an experience…haunting…unsettling…as immersive as it gets” by Newsweek. The 5:30 PM screening of the bomb will be in George Pearl Hall 101. https://www.thebombnow.com/
A two-day symposium on the bomb will be held on Wednesday, April 30th and Thursday, May 1st. Alicia Inez Guzmán will give the keynote lecture about “Epifania’s Story: A Local Reporter’s Quest to Reveal a 50-year-old Secret,” about a woman living in Truchas who did not work at LANL, but was contaminated with LANL plutonium. https://searchlightnm.org/buried-secrets-poisoned-bodies/ It will be followed by a gallery walk; panel discussions by artists, faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students; a post-screening discussion; and a writing workshop led by the filmmakers, which is reserved for UNM journalism students. https://honors.unm.edu/news/events/the-bomb.html, scroll down for the schedule.
The third piece is the bomb Exhibit from April 30th through May 30th at the Zimmerman Library, Room 102. The full schedule is Wednesday, April 30; Fridays in May: the 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th. https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/university-of-new-mexico-to-host-exhibit-on-nuclear-history-technology-weapons/
The exhibit at UNM has been coordinated by Myrriah Gómez, Associate Professor in the Honors College; Sachi Barnaby, an Honors College undergraduate student; and Mel Ribas, the senior operations manager of the University Libraries. https://honors.unm.edu/news/events/the-bomb.html
Stay informed about the tour and upcoming locations by visiting https://www.thebombnow.com/
- Join us on Friday, April 25th from noon to 1 pm
at the intersection of East Alameda and Sandoval for the weekly one-hour peaceful protest for nuclear disarmament and against expanded plutonium pit production at LANL. Join the weekly peaceful protest with Veterans for Peace, CCNS, Nuclear Watch NM, Loretto Community, New Mexico Peace Fest, Pax Christi and others. Bring your flags, signs and banners in support of nuclear weapons disarmament.
- Friday, April 25th from 5 pm to 7:30 pm – Voces del Pueblo: Artists of the Levantamiento Chicano in New Mexico at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum (April 25, 2025 to February 8, 2026). Listen to the Raíces interview on Monday, April 21st at 7:30 pm about the exhibit on KUNM-FM’s Online two-week audio archive. https://www.kunm.org/two-week-archive
- Saturday, April 26th from 9 am to 5 pm –
Second Annual WIPP Plutonium Trail Caravan from Santa Fe to Las Vegas, NM and back to protest the continued dumping of toxic chemical and radioactive waste in NM by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its contractors.
Join us at the southwest corner of De Vargas Mall on Paseo de Peralta to load and go to I-25 to the Plaza in Las Vegas, NM and with a stop at the Lamy Train Station on the return trip.
If you are unable to attend, please be sure to sign the Stop Forever WIPP petition to NM’s Governor – available in English and Spanish – to ensure the Governor protects the People of New Mexico from DOE’s WIPP expansion plans. https://stopforeverwipp.org/ and https://form.jotform.com/251037013320135
For more information, see https://nuclearactive.org/second-annual-wipp-plutonium-trail-caravan-on-saturday-april-26th/ ; https://nuclearactive.org/saturday-april-26th-second-annual-wipp-plutonium-trail-caravan-from-santa-fe-to-las-vegas-new-mexico/
- SHUT DOWN DRONE WARFARE – 16 Years of Drone Resistance – Join the Spring Action Week, Sunday, April 20th to Saturday, April 26th – Holloman Drone Training Base, Alamogordo, NM. For more information, https://www.shutdowndronewarfare.org/
- Tuesday, April 29th from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at New Mexico Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana Blvd. SE, Albuquerque, NM –
The Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) Semiannual Public Meeting about their environmental programs and activities at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB). sandia.gov/about/environment For more information about SNL: envinfo@sandia.gov; about KAFB: 377ABW.PA@kirtland.af.mil
- Wednesday, April 30th from 4 pm to 6 pm –
Virtual and in-person WIPP Community Forum & Open House to provide an update on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Q&A to follow. In-person meeting at the Skeen-Whitlock Building Auditorium, 4021 National Parks Hwy., Carlsbad, NM Registration at https://wipp.energy.gov/events-calendar.asp
ENGLISH FLYER HERE: https://wipp.energy.gov/Library/documents/2025/Indian_Country_043025.pdf
SPANISH FLYER HERE: https://wipp.energy.gov/Library/documents/2025/Indian_Country-Spanish_043025.pdf
- Thursday, May 1st from 6 to 8 pm at the Nick Salazar Center for the Arts, Española, NM –
First We Bombed New Mexico Film Screening and Panel Discussion. Join Tewa Women United for the acclaimed film, First We Bombed New Mexico, the hidden history of Trinity—the world’s first nuclear bomb detonation—carried out in New Mexico just one month prior to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The panel features: Lois Lipman, Director of First We Bombed New Mexico; Tina Cordova, Co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, whose activism is featured in the film; and Nathana Bird, Interim Executive Director of Tewa Women United. We hope you will join us and bring a friend as we are trying to fill the theater and build momentum for the film. Also feel free to share with your networks, on social media posts and EJ connections. Check out flyer (attached) and the trailer for the film: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/878337794/a575bb471a
- Saturday, May 3rd from 10 am to 4 pm –
Dust off your hiking boots and pull out your work gloves to help clean up the Caja del Rio. Join Conservation Voters New Mexico, the Caja del Rio Coalition and partners to restore the landscape.
If you want to join, RSVP here. Then meet at USFS Headquarters Well Trailhead, Forest Rd 24, Santa Fe, NM 87507.
All materials for the clean-up event will be supplied by the Caja del Rio Coalition and/or its partners, except for gloves and outdoor gear. Lunch will be provided, but it’s important to bring any additional snacks and water to keep you energized throughout the day.
- Thursday, May 8th from 12 – 1:30 pm
in The Small Auditorium, CFA – New Mexico’s Nuclear Weapons Boom Community Reading & Conversation
Join Tewa Women United for an open conversation about recent developments in nuclear activity across New Mexico, inspired by the New Yorker article by Abe Streep, “New Mexico’s Nuclear Weapons Boom.” This powerful piece highlights the growing role of the nuclear industry in our region — and features stories about Northern New Mexico College students and academic programs. We’ll be joined by special guest Alicia Inez Guzmán of Searchlight New Mexico, an investigative journalist who covers nuclear issues and the industry’s local impact. Come learn, share, and be part of the dialogue about our future.
Here is the Northern NM College host contact information as well:
Tobe Bott-Lyons tobe.bottlyons@nnmc.edu
Johanna Case-Hofmeister johanna.case@nnmc.edu