BAVC was founded in 1976 by a coalition of media-makers and activists who, initially, wanted to find alternative, civic-minded applications for a new technology – PortaPak video.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) funded BAVC to begin production of Western Exposure, a series of six diverse programs by Bay Area independents.

The BAVC artist-in-residence program was born with the Capp Street Project, sponsoring Mary Lucier, Daniel Reeves, and Francesc Torres.

BAVC was the only video facility in San Francisco not damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and was able to provide postproduction services for all American Red Cross relief reports.

BAVC acquired a ProTools system in 1993 and completed “Brothers,” the first interactive video program aimed at slowing the spread of HIV among African Americans.

The Getty Research Institute and the Andy Warhol Foundation supported "Playback '96," an international symposium on video preservation at SFMOMA.

Electronic Cafeco-founder Kit Gallaway partnered with BAVC in 2003 to preserve the historic video piece, Hole-In-Space.

BAVC began to preserve audiotapes in addition to videotapes, with a grant from Richard and Pamela Kramlich's New Art Trust.

BAVC worked with the Tisch School of the Arts, NYU as well as The Getty Research Institute and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company to help develop video preservation curriculum and training resources for their students and staff.