The founding members of A.I.R. decided to rent a 70-foot-long space at 97 Wooster Street, in downtown Manhattan, as their first gallery. With the plaster peeling and the floors warped, the artists renovated the space themselves, using their carpentry and electrical wiring skills to ready the gallery for its first exhibition. On September 16, 1972, it officially opened to the public with its first exhibition, a group show featuring the work of all of the collective’s members.