New Documentary Treasures of New York: Museum of the City of New York Celebrates the Past, Present and Future of NYC
Premieres Thursday, May 4 at 8 p.m. on WLIW21
Premieres Sunday, May 7 at 7 p.m. on THIRTEEN
Streams Nationally Online at wliw.org/treasures
Since its founding in 1923, the Museum of the City of New York has worked to display and celebrate New York City’s past, present and future. Located near the top of Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street, the Museum is home to 750,000 objects and showcases 400 years of New York City history.
Beginning May 4, the latest installment of the Emmy-Award winning series, Treasures of New York, will bring viewers inside the Museum of the City of New York, the cultural institution that encourages visitors to reconnect to the city’s storied past and envision its future.
Tracing the nearly 100-year history of the Museum from its first days operating out of Gracie Mansion to the recent opening of its ambitious new permanent exhibit, New York at Its Core, the new documentary Treasures of New York: Museum of the City of New York premieres on Thursday, May 4 at 8pm on WLIW21 and Sunday, May 7 at 7pm on THIRTEEN. Following the broadcast, the film will also be available for online viewing at wliw.org/treasures.
The film gives viewers a first-hand view of the Museum’s collection which includes a 19th century Stettheimer dollhouse, 300 lithographs by Currier and Ives, artifacts from the city’s police and fire departments, an extensive collection of photographs, costumes, paintings, sculptures, and toys, and much more.
Treasures of New York also takes viewers inside New York at Its Core, the Museum’s largest endeavor yet. Occupying three galleries, 8,000 square feet, and the entire first floor of the Museum, it follows the story of the city’s rise from a striving Dutch Village to today’s “Capital of the World.” Framed around the key themes of money, density, diversity, and creativity, New York City’s history and future come alive through the stories of innovation, energy, struggle, and the vision of generations of immigrants, politicians, tycoons, dreamers, master builders, and ordinary New Yorkers. The exhibition features both historical objects as well as cutting-edge technology.
Treasures of New York: Museum of the City of New York features interviews with Susan Henshaw Jones, former President & Director, Museum of the City of New York, who launched the New York At Its Core project in 2005, as well as Whitney Donhauser, current President & Ronay Menschel Director, Museum of the City of New York, who saw the project through to its completion. The film also features interviews with many of the curators, scholars, artists and tech gurus who have helped make the exhibit and the museum what it is today, including Sarah Henry, Deputy Director & Chief Curator, Museum of the City of New York; Chris Piazza, artists and restoration specialist; and Jake Barton, Principal & Founder of Local Projects, among others.
Treasures of New York is a production of WLIW LLC in association with WNET. WNET is the parent company of WLIW21 and THIRTEEN, New York’s public television stations and operator of NJTV.
Ann Benjamin is director of Treasures of New York: Museum of the City of New York. Julie Cohen is producer. Lauren Witte is associate producer. Ally Gimbel is senior producer of the Treasures of New York series. Diane Masciale is vice president and general manager of WLIW21 and executive producer of local production, including the Treasures of New York series. Executive-in-Charge of Production is John Servidio.
Funding for Treasures of New York: Museum of the City of New York is provided by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation.
For more information about the series and this program, visit the Treasures of New York website at wliw.org/treasures.
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About WNET
WNET is America’s flagship PBS station and parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21. WNET also operates NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey. Through its broadcast channels, three cable services (KidsThirteen, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children’s programs, and local news and cultural offerings. WNET’s groundbreaking series for children and young adults include Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase as well as Mission US, the award-winning interactive history game. WNET highlights the tri-state’s unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Theater Close-Up, NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, the daily multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. In addition, WNET produces online-only programming including the award-winning series about gender identity, First Person, and an intergenerational look at tech and pop culture, The Chatterbox with Kevin and Grandma Lill. In 2015, THIRTEEN launched Passport, an online streaming service which allows members to see new and archival THIRTEEN and PBS programming anytime, anywhere: www.thirteen.org/passport.