The Tennessee Williams Museum at 513 Truman Avenue is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. (Photo Credit: Richard Peter Matson)

Tennessee Williams Museum Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

The Key West Art & Historical Society invites the public to join it in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Tennessee Williams Museum located at 513 Truman Avenue.  Founder Dennis Beaver established the museum in March 2011 in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the iconic playwright and longtime Key West resident.  The museum has been a recipient of numerous awards including “Highly Commended” honors by the British Guild of Travel Writers in its “Best in the Wider World” category.  In January 2018, it merged with the KWAHS, becoming the fourth museum under the Society’s stewardship.

Since its inception, the goal of the Tennessee Williams has been highlighting the legacy of one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.  This is of particular importance to the citizens of Key West and Monroe County since Williams resided in his home on Duncan Street from 1949 until his death in 1983.  During this time his popular plays, which were often made into successful movies, earned him international fame and countless awards, including Pulitzers for “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” as well as the highest honor given to a civilian, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  His creativity and life in Key West motivated other writers and artists to live and work on the island, forming a renowned bohemian enclave that beckons the creative community to paradise.  Williams is also credited with helping to put the island on the cultural map and making it the tremendous art and cultural destination that it is today.

His plays and writings remain relevant and are frequently produced on Broadway and on stages throughout the world.  This enduring popularity and scholarly interest in his work increases the importance of the collection at the Tennessee Williams Museum and the commemoration of its 10th anniversary.

For more information about the museum, visit www.kwahs.org.  While the museum remains closed, you can schedule a private tour by visiting https://www.kwahs.org/upcoming-event/private-tour-of-the-tennessee-williams-museum. Your museums. Your community. It takes an island.

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