50th Anniversary – Project Save Photograph Archive

For 50 years, Project Save has safeguarded original photographs, preserving the stories, identities, and histories of the Armenian global diaspora. Founded in 1975 by Ruth Thomasian in New York City, Project Save began as a singularly driven effort to collect, protect, and share photographs that might otherwise have been lost to time. Today, with over 100,000 photographs, it is the largest and only archive solely dedicated to Armenian photographic cultural heritage and is a testament to decades of dedication and care. To support us, click here.

Recent significant developments in our journey.

New leadership: In 2021 Arto Vaun took the helm as Executive Director, ushering in a bold vision for Project Save’s next era of growth and impact.

Fresh Programming & Outreach: We recently launched exciting new initiatives such as an Artist & Research Residency; Conversations on Photography series; The Stories Archive; and Project Save Armenia.

New Location & Gallery: In 2024, we moved to our first public-facing space, providing a gallery for exhibitions and community engagement.

50th Anniversary: This year (2025) is a major milestone during which we will be holding events, exhibits, and strategizing so that Project Save’s future is secure.

For more info and to support us, click here.

Video Message From Arto Vaun, Executive Director

Some of our major changes since 2021:

A new, spacious location with offices and a gallery space for exhibits and events!
Articles about Project Save in The Smithsonian Magazine, Boston Globe, and Acid Free.
New Advisory Board whose members are high-level experts from the Getty Museum, the Smithsonian, Oxford University, Library of Congress, Harvard University, Boston Public Library, and other institutions.
Conversations on Photography series of talks by photographers, researchers, and archivists from around the world.
Annual Artist & Research Residency for accomplished researchers and creators to engage with the archives and produce new work.
Beautiful new website to engage more with the public, researchers, educators, and artists.

From Artsakh to Aleppo, history has been repeating itself lately.

With the tragic loss of Artsakh, people’s photographs were also lost. In an instant, thousands of photographs documenting many generations of vibrant Armenian culture and life on that land are gone. And once gone, such photographs–and the stories they tell–are irreplaceable.

Project Save is the largest and oldest organization in the world whose mission has been to preserve, catalog, and share photographs of the Armenian global experience. In our 48 years, never has that mission been more urgent and vital than right now.

Invest in our mission to preserve and tell the Armenian story through photographs–a universal story of survival, resilience, and rebirth.

To support Project Save click here.

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