Event box

Training the Muse: A workshop on small data Gen-AI for artistic practices

Training the Muse: A workshop on small data Gen-AI for artistic practices In-Person

Join us on Saturday, February 28, and Sunday, March 1, 2026, for a no-cost, two-day workshop using Autolume, a visual AI system created by SFU’s Metacreation Lab.

Generative AI tools have become increasingly visible in artistic practice, however most artists encounter AI through large-scale corporate platforms like Midjourney, Dall E 3, etc. which are trained on massive, opaque datasets. These systems often obscure authorship, flatten aesthetic diversity, and embed cultural biases.

This workshop offers an alternative approach: a small-data, artist-centred methodology that emphasizes control, transparency, and cultural specificity. Participants will work with their own datasets, gaining creative autonomy while learning ethical and technically accessible AI workflows grounded in personal and situated artistic practice.
 

Artists, designers, technologists, students and educators of all backgrounds are welcome. No coding experience is required. Workshop participants will gain the skills to work independently with artist-trained AI models and a critical understanding of how small-data approaches can expand creative agency, cultural expression, and aesthetic diversity in AI art.

Bring your images, your vision, and your curiosity. 

Workshop facilitators:

Philippe Pasquier, Professor | School of Interactive Arts and Technology | Simon Fraser University

Arshia Sobhan, Ph.D. Student | School of Interactive Arts and Technology | Simon Fraser University

Date:

Saturday, February 28, 11-1PM

Sunday, March 1, 11-1PM

Location:

Business and Economics Building (BEC 180)

Date:
Saturday, February 28, 2026 Show more dates
Time:
11:00am - 2:00pm
Time Zone:
Pacific Time - US & Canada (change)
Location:
Business and Economics Building (BEC 180) (Map )
Audience:
  Open to everyone  

Registration is required. There are 14 seats available.


This workshop is made possible through the generous support of the Office of the Vice President Research and Innovation, Kula: Library Futures Academy and the Canada Research Chair in Emergent Digital Art Practices at the Faculty of Fine Arts. 

More events like this...