The Manila Artist-Run Spaces Archive contains material on six organisations that were active between the mid-1980s and the early 2000s. Artists opened these spaces to expand the existing arts infrastructure, which comprised mostly museums and commercial galleries that favoured established artists. The archive contains material on Pinaglabanan Galleries (1984–89) opened by Agnes Arellano; Third Space (1998–2000) by Yason Banal; Surrounded by Water (1998–2002) by Wire Tuazon and friends; The Junk Shop (1996–99) by Russ and Eng Chan; Big Sky Mind (1999–2005) by Ringo Bunoan, Katya Guerrero, Riza Manalo and others; and Future Prospects (2005–07) by Gary-Ross Pastrana and friends.

The archive contains thousands of photographs, videos, interviews, news clippings, and ephemera for exhibitions, artwork documentation, informal gatherings, workshops, screenings, artist talks, and performances. Additionally, there are twelve video recordings of sessions organised by Ringo Bunoan in 2007, during which the founders of these spaces talked about the material that they deposited for the archive. The artists/curators/organisers significantly contributed to the collective development of the contemporary arts community in Metro Manila, inheriting the spirit of experimentation and DIY resourcefulness of their mentor Roberto Chabet.

The team for the Manila Artist-Run Spaces Archive includes Chương-Đài Hồng Võ, Garfield Chow, and Hazel Kwok (formerly) of the AAA Research team; Project Researcher Ringo Bunoan; and Gabrielle Chan and Elaine Lin of the AAA Collections team. Wong Tin Lok and Chaelyn Kim assisted the AAA team as interns.