Yes, we did it! Note from Tsuyoshi
February 24, 2011
Dear Everyone,
First and foremost, thank you again for your involvement with Project Basho in 2010.
Magically and yet decisively, we reached our 2010 goal of 365 students on New Year's Eve. This is a big milestone for us. We essentially brought one student a day through the Project Basho door, and 365 students walked away learning something new about photography in 2010.
It is simply amazing how far we have come as an organization since I started Project Basho eight years ago with just four students around a dining table. We are truly excited about this growth and opportunity to serve people's desire to learn about the medium of photography.
This is not, by any means, an individual achievement of Herculean effort. Project Basho is a rich community which includes staff members, volunteers, instructors and students like you who are an integral part of it all. Without the active engagement of the Project Basho community, our goals just could not be realized.
Certainly 365 is a thrilling number, but what we are even more thrilled about is the fact that we have created a community and a locus of culture around the medium of photography right here on Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia. For us, this is what is most significant about our growth.
Before I even came up with the name of Project Basho, a simple question was running through my mind that started me on this path: "what does it take to create a locus of a culture?" Creating a center of culture where people come together simply because they love something and want to share that love with others was admittedly a grand idea and it has been formidable enough to make my life both busy and focused since then. Now, eight and a half years later, that dream is coming together as something real and tangible with this milestone.
We are constantly working to improve all aspects of our organization and will continue our efforts to make our community tighter and stronger. If you have suggestions, please feel free to contact me directly.
Thank you again for your participation and support for Project Basho. Looking forward to seeing you at the studio soon.
Warmly (with a handshake),
Tsuyoshi Ito
Program Director
Lucky Winners & Prizes
The Big Fish
- 365th Student: Matt W. from Bryn Maw, PA
- A free class/workshop of your choice for you and a friend!
- Project Basho Bag
- 364th Student: Sonia S. of Philadelphia
- An autographed book from our bookstore
- Project Basho Bag
- 366th Student: Diane F. of Lansdale, PA
- An autographed book from our bookstore
- Project Basho Bag
Precursor to the Big Fish
- 300th Student: Victor K. of Philadelphia
- Special edition Diana F+ Toy Camera
- Project Basho Bag
- 299th Student: Tiffany L. of Philadelphia
- Project Basho Bag
- 301st Student: Irina B. of Voorhees, NJ
- Project Basho Bag
For Everyone
To show our thanks for helping us reach our goal, all students from the previous year will receive a custom collotype postcard featuring images by members of Project Basho's community. These postcards are printed through a generous sponsorship by Benrido a fine collotype press in Kyoto, Japan.
F.A.Q.
- How many students do we have right now?
- Sucess! On December 31, the last day of 2010, we registered one more student and brought our total for the year to exactly 365, no joke!
- Is this goal realistic?
- We are pretty confident that we will reach this number by the end of this year - the question is when, hence the game of chance.
- I want the Big Fish! How can I time my registration to be the lucky winner?
- Unpredictability is what makes our lives so interesting.
- When and how did Project Basho begin anyway?
- Project Basho began in July 2002 with the idea that there should be a place where people can gather to share and learn about photography in Philadelphia. With a bit of financial assistance from his mother, Tsuyoshi, Project Basho's founder, built a small studio in his apartment in Old City. The facilities were humble (a modest darkroom and a red dining table for the class to gather around) but it was enough to get started.
