 As the Erie Art Center, the organization expanded to include year-round exhibitions and education programs (1969), instituted an active program of collecting and a traveling exhibition program (1973), and added a darkroom (1973), frame shop (1975), and artist studios (1977).Having outgrown the Sixth Street buildings, the organization created the ClaySpace ceramics studio (1981), a theater (1982) and artist studio rental spaces (1983) in the ArtWorks building at 1505 State Street.At the same time, the organization changed its name to Erie Art Museum and purchased the former Ashby Printing Company buildings at 423 State Street and 10 East 5th Street, which became known collectively as the Erie Art Museum Annex.