Atomic Testing Museum welcomes new director

Ray Shubinski took over in January, has teaching background

dale dombrowski/viewJennifer Boring, foreground, from Ohio, and her friend Dena Williams, from Las Vegas, examine the How to Photograph an Atomic Bomb exhibit at the Atomic Testing Museum. The exhibit ends on March 30. A new exhibit, Amusement Park Sciences, will open on April 26. special to viewRay Shubinski took over as director of the Atomic Testing Museum, 755 E. Flamingo Road, in January. Advertisement

Though it wasn't always the case, the valley now boasts several museums that truly can be called state of the art. The Atomic Testing Museum, 755 E. Flamingo Road, is among them.

The museum recently celebrated its third anniversary in the building it shares with the Desert Research Institute.

"Since I've been in town, the number and prominence of local museums has grown, and we're getting new museums of national caliber, such as the Atomic Testing Museum," said Mark Hall-Patton, administrator for the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum. "Overall, the community is growing into its feet, and the cultural infrastructure is coming into place."

The museum also recently acquired a new director, Ray Shubinski, who officially took the reins on Jan. 10. Previously, he was the director of Science City, a science center in Kansas City, Mo., that included a railroad museum, as well as hands-on science exhibits. Before leaving that position, Shubinski had the honor of being the internal curator at the museum for the touring Dead Sea Scroll exhibit.

Shubinski also taught physics and astronomy for 20 years, while being a museum professional for his entire career.

A combination of family and upward mobility led him to the museum. "Even though I was director in Kansas City, there was a layer or two of bureaucracy above me, and it's nice to come out and really be in charge again," he said. "Also, my daughter and son-in-law were already out here." Shubinski said he is looking forward to spending time with his new grandson, as well.

The museum plans to make several interesting changes in the coming year. "We're currently evaluating and updating the exhibits," Shubinski said. "We have more things to exhibit than we have space, so we're hoping to rotate some of it."

The museum's collection continues to grow, as long-time Nevada Test Site workers donate things they've held on to or created over the years. The Nevada Test Site itself is a valuable source of fresh exhibit material. In fact, at times, it can be too rich a source. "They've offered us a 64-ton blast door that they have out there," Shubinski said, "but we've got no place to put it at the moment."

One solution that currently is being considered is to have part of the displays on the Nevada Test Site itself be seen as part of the Department of Energy's monthly bus tours to the site. There is quite a bit of logic to that, as the DOE tours now leave from the museum, a much easier location to locate than the previous embarkation point, the DOE's offices.

"We want to bring more general science into the museum, as well," Shubinski said. "We're adding more hands-on exhibits, as well."

Shubinski plans to change out the temporary exhibits more frequently, moving up to at least three different exhibits per year and perhaps more. The current exhibit, How to Photograph an Atomic Bomb, ends on March 30. On April 26, a new exhibit, Amusement Park Sciences, opens, which is kid-friendly and interactive. In fact, Shubinski notes that the museum already is completely booked for school groups to visit the exhibit.

In addition to the science exhibit, Shubinski hopes to include a peripherally-related art show on the subject of circus side shows.