AI Print Workshop
The AI Print Workshop is an exchange portfolio that called upon artists to collaborate with AI and make a print. The goal of the portfolio is to engage print with AI expansively and openly. The works must engage a question of theory or material significance between AI and print. AI generated material (text, imagery, or video) must be used is some way but how is determined by the artist.
Originality
AI experts claim that DALL-E 2 is getting “too close to human-level visual creativity. It can create anything you can imagine – and anything you can’t – from a single sentence.” Artists whose work visualizes narratives, constructs poetry, or engages with the imaginary, can use AI as a tool to sketch, invent, and create rather than replace their process outright.
"Four Hands" riel sturchio, gelatin silver print, 11" x 14", 2025
"Gli Infiniti di Bruno - Synthetic Twin B" Paul Catanese, lithography, 11" x 14", 2024
"The Birthday" Shannon Bourne, screenprint, 14" x 11", 2025
"Text to Image: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone" Mary Claire Becker, Photopolymer Intaglio and Relief, 11" x 14", 2025
"In sheltered nooks, between coral masses" Mariceliz Pagán Gómez, intaglio, injet, and screenprint, 11" x 14", 2025
"Pile #40 (A Renewed Sense of Balance)" Sean P. Morrissey, screenprint, 14" x 11", 2025
Materiality
AI image generators like DALL-E and MidJourney change the look/feel of an image when you ask for a specific medium. They can generate an apple in the style of a photo, painting, woodcut, pencil drawing, etc. However, any printmaker looking closely at these AI images will notice they lack a sensitivity to graphic detail which draws many artists to printmaking. There are many historic occasions on which mechanical-reproduction caused existential crisis for artists and creators alike, such as the Arts & Crafts renaissance of woodcut in the early 1900s as a direct reaction to mass-produced lithographic advertisements.
"Facial Enhancement" Leonie Bradley, digital, wood engraving, ai-generated imagery, 11" x 14", 2025
"Whispers Cascade" Drew Sisk, risograph print, 11" x 14", 2025
"Divine Reacts and Comments" Kathryn Combs, screenprint, 11" x 14", 2025
"Untitled" Brian Gonzales, screenprint, 11" x 14", 2025
"Zeitgeist in Limb" Cullen Houser, intaglio, 11" x 14", 2025
"A simple checkerboard pattern." Travis Janssen, screenprint, 11" x 14", 2025
Identity
The internet (like print itself) opens the doors for artists to self-publish, share freely, protest, and build communities. However, AI tools are being built using artist images online which challenges authorship. How AI tools are built is not public information (the process for collecting images, labeling, and training an AI to identify and construct new information).
"Digital Doppleganger" Dana Potter, laser-cut relief and screenprint, 14" x 11", 2025
"1950s Vintage Housewife" Marika Christofides, screenprint, 14" x 11", 2025
"Miss Glitch 2025" David Wischer, screen print, 11" x 14", 2025
"untitled" Sarah Sipling, relief and iris print, 14" x 11", 2025
Dedication:
This portfolio is dedicated to Phyllis Merriam. A copy of the portfolio will be made in her memory. Phyllis Merriam, a beloved and influential figure in the world of printmaking, passed away, leaving behind a legacy of innovation, creativity, and inspiration. Known for her never-ending energy and passion for education and collaboration, Phyllis touched the lives of countless individuals. Alongside her husband and creative partner, Victor Merriam, they explored new frontiers in printmaking, blending traditional techniques with cutting-edge technology like 3-D printed plates, and combining printmaking with animation. Together, they co-founded thepostdigitalprintmaker, an artist community of printmakers, multimedia artists, and animators who combine traditional printmaking with emerging technologies.