Tularosa: An American Dreamtime at Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University

Much has been made lately about Oppenheimer as “father of the atomic bomb,” while the stories of the people of New Mexico who continue to be affected by the Trinity explosions remain largely out of the public eye. Multiple generations of New Mexican families who call themselves “Downwinders” bear, in their bodies, the consequences of Tularosa Basin nuclear activity. They have had to deal with genetic mutations, various cancers, and other physical, emotional, and mental wounding as a result of the nuclear testing near their homes, while tirelessly petitioning the government for compensation and care. Yet our culture and our mainstream storytelling still seeks to deify and mythologize those who, in the name of progress and “keeping America safe,” have deeply harmed our planet, and in fact, risk the survival of humanity itself. In this Princeton iteration of Tularosa: An American Dreamtime, 2022-24 Princeton Arts Fellow Kamara Thomas and her collaborators attempt to weave these underlooked Downwinders’ stories into an ongoing excavation and exploration into the threads of the American Story that congregate in the Tularosa region of New Mexico—many of them hidden, suppressed and underrepresented