The following announcement was provided by Project Save:
Project Save Photographic Archive, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving the global Armenian experience through photography, has secured $500,000 in new financial gifts along with significant archival donations, marking major milestones for the organization’s 50th anniversary.
“These transformational investments in Project Save’s future affirm the urgency and impact of our mission,” said Executive Director Arto Vaun. “They help ensure the continued preservation of Armenian social history and culture for generations to come.”
An anonymous donor has pledged $400,000 to Project Save. In addition, New York-based philanthropist Sabine Hrechdakian has made a $50,000 gift. She joins Project Save as a founding member of its newly restructured Board of Trustees. An anonymous New York-based donor has contributed $50,000 in memory of Michael and Katherine Halebian. All the gifts are unrestricted, providing crucial flexibility to expand the archive’s operations and outreach.
Vaun notes these contributions are the result of a focused 50th anniversary initiative to raise awareness of Project Save’s work among a broader network of individuals who share a stake in Armenian cultural preservation, photography and immigrant stories in general. He says funds will support more expanded outreach, bolster fundraising, enable key technological upgrades, and create a new full-time archivist position.
“These gifts are the beginning of a larger effort to build long-term sustainability,” Vaun said. “They offer a powerful invitation to everyone who cares about Armenian heritage, cultural memory, and the immigrant experience to rally around Project Save’s mission.”
Strengthening Capacity, Expanding the Archive
In addition to financial gifts Project Save recently received significant archival donations:
● Acclaimed filmmaker Nigol Bezjian, a co-founder of the Arab Image Foundation and a vital figure in contemporary Armenian cinema, has donated thousands of photographs. His collection spans family archives, production stills from his films, and personal artistic work. “Photographs preserve memory and identity — they contain astronomical amounts of cultural and historical information,” Bezjian says. “Donating to Project Save is my way of continuing that mission. I hope this inspires other Armenian creatives to preserve their visual legacies.”
● Dr. Carolann Najarian, a physician and humanitarian, has donated decades of photographic documentation from her and her husband’s more than 50 humanitarian missions to Armenia and Artsakh between 1989 and 2012. “We took photos of village life, medical missions, and the people we met,” said Najarian. “For years, I held onto these pictures, unsure what to do with them — until Project Save grew into the extraordinary archive it is today. Now they become part of a preserved history and ensure that researchers, students and future generations can witness a vital part of Armenian and humanitarian history. Project Save gives these photos a second life.”
“These donations are treasures of Armenian cultural history,” said Vaun. “We are humbled by the trust that Dr. Najarian, Nigol Bezjian, and hundreds of families have placed in us to preserve their legacies.”
A Legacy of Preservation
Founded in 1975 by Ruth Thomasian, Project Save began as a grassroots effort to document the stories of elderly Armenian immigrants through photographs. Over five decades, the organization amassed more than 100,000 original images from Armenian families and communities around the world, depicting daily life, world events, religious ceremonies, and visits with political leaders, artists, writers and freedom fighters.
Upon Thomasian’s retirement, Vaun became Executive Director and led the creation of Project Save’s first permanent public home, complete with offices, climate-controlled storage, and gallery space. “I’m thrilled to see the ambitious new direction Project Save is taking,” Thomasian says. “These donations reflect decades of hard work and validate both our mission and Arto’s vision for the archive’s future.”
Project Save acknowledges attorney Karnig Kerkonian and the team at Kerkonian Dajani LLP for their generous assistance in facilitating the $400,000 anonymous gift process.