Release Date: August 10, 2018

Exhibition Featuring Psychotherapy on Classic TV Shows Opens in August at the Jewish Museum

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Television and Beyond: TV Therapy
August 17, 2018-March 31, 2019

New York, NY, August 10, 2018 – The Jewish Museum will present Television and Beyond: TV Therapy from August 17, 2018 through March 31, 2019, featuring a selection of television clips exploring psychotherapy and therapists from shows ranging from M*A*S*H  and Sex and the City to The Sopranos and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Therapy is sometimes presented in earnest and often with humor, the inherent discomfort expected in a therapy session serving as fodder for comedic set-ups. One of seven sections that make up the Jewish Museum’s third floor collection exhibition, Scenes from the Collection, “Television and Beyond” draws inspiration from the Museum’s National Jewish Archive of Broadcasting.

The clip reel includes such iconic television therapists  as The Sopranos’ Dr. Melfi and In Treatment’s Paul Weston. Weston is seen both treating a patient and seeking advice from his old mentor. While some excerpts depict therapy sessions, clips from Sex and the City and The Dick Van Dyke Show explore attitudes and assumptions about therapy, therapists, and those who consult them.

A scene from M*A*S*H strikes a serious note through a sincere conversation between Hawkeye Pierce and recurring character Dr. Sidney Freedman, but other shows, notably Curb Your Enthusiasm – with Larry David as the ultimate neurotic Jewish patient - and the animated Dr. Katz Professional Therapist poke fun at the therapeutic situation.

With more than 4,000 holdings, the National Jewish Archive of Broadcasting is the largest and most comprehensive body of broadcast materials on Jewish culture in the United States. Inspired by the archive, Scenes from the Collection includes a selection of television clips rotating twice a year that examine how Jews have been portrayed and portray themselves, and how mass media has addressed issues of religion, ethnicity, and diversity.

About Scenes from the Collection
The Jewish Museum's ongoing collection exhibition, Scenes from the Collection, features nearly 600 works from antiquities to contemporary art. Art and Jewish objects are shown together, affirming universal values that are shared among people of all faiths and backgrounds. The exhibition is a powerful expression of artistic and cultural creativity as well as a reflection of the continual evolution that is the essence of Jewish identity. The unique mix of art and ceremonial objects speaks of the many strands of Jewish tradition, culture, spirituality, and history. Scenes from the Collection is divided into seven different sections, or scenes, highlighting the diversity and depth of the collection.  Several scenes change annually, and one changes every six months, so that different subjects can be examined while audiences are offered opportunities to see as much of the collection as possible, including new acquisitions.

About the Jewish Museum

Located on New York City’s famed Museum Mile, the Jewish Museum is a distinctive hub for art and Jewish culture for people of all backgrounds. Founded in 1904, the Museum was the first institution of its kind in the United States and is one of the oldest Jewish museums in the world. Devoted to exploring art and Jewish culture from ancient to contemporary, the Museum offers diverse exhibitions and programs, and maintains a unique collection of nearly 30,000 works of art, ceremonial objects, and media reflecting the global Jewish experience over more than 4,000 years.

Location: 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, New York City

Hours: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, 11am to 5:45pm; Thursday, 11am to 8pm; and Friday, 11am to 4pm.

Admission: $18.00 for adults, $12.00 for senior citizens, $8.00 for students, free for visitors 18 and under and Jewish Museum members. Pay What You Wish on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm. Free on Saturdays and select Jewish holidays.

Information: The public may call 212.423.3200 or visit TheJewishMuseum.org.

Press contacts

Daniela Stigh and Alex Wittenberg

The Jewish Museum

212.423.3271

dstigh@thejm.org

awittenberg@thejm.org

pressoffice@thejm.org (general inquiries)