The LACE records paint a dynamic portrait of an institution central to the development of contemporary art in Los Angeles, from its early days downtown to more recent years at its current home in Hollywood as it evolved with the alternative art scene in Southern California. The space served as a crucial site for video, performance, and other art forms, supporting many artists who later gained wider recognition, including ASCO, Mike Kelley, Suzanne Lacy, Paul McCarthy, Rachel Rosenthal, and Bruce and Norman Yonemoto.

The archive complements other Research Institute holdings from organizations that supported performance and video, such as the High Performance magazine records, the Long Beach Museum of Art Video Archive, and The Kitchen Archive, as well as archives of groups and artists who LACE programmed, including the Feminist Art Workers, Yvonne Rainer, and Barbara T. Smith.