Overview

The absence of William Saroyan’s personal items inspired the project curators to design the emptied space in a way that would speak to the character of the original owner. The inclusion of items not featured originally in the house was therefore ruled out given its potential to injure the authenticity and historical accuracy of the concept. The decision to largely exclude personal items from the museum also meant bypassing the common practice of oversaturating house museums with personal belongings to create a particular atmosphere. By harnessing the power of archival materials, the curators hoped to renew interest in Saroyan’s mostly underrated legacy in the USA and draw attention to the complexity of his creative persona. In the William Saroyan House Museum, visitors are no longer passive viewers skipping from one exhibit to another. Instead, they are actively engaged with the artworks on display in the interest of a more profound experience of the space and the character that once inhabited it.