Curious about how digital tools can expand your collage practice without touching a single piece of fabric in class? In this immersive workshop, Theresa Benson introduces how AI image generation works, with a strong focus on ethical use, pitfalls, and tradeoffs. Students will set up free accounts (ChatGPT, Gemini, Canva), learn to craft prompts, and explore how to enlarge and adapt images digitally for use in future collage projects. Demonstrations with an overhead camera, lightbox, and example works show how digital inspiration becomes quilt-ready.

Participants leave with handouts, inspiration, and the know-how to continue exploring at home.

Takeaways:

• Beginner-friendly understanding of how AI works (and where it goes wrong);
• Ethical frameworks for using AI responsibly in creative practice;
• Hands-on practice creating prompts and working with digital tools;
• Techniques for digitally enlarging and adapting images for future fabric use;
• Handouts and example workflows to continue learning after class

Student Requirements: Laptop or tablet (iOS/Android) with internet access Confidence using basic app/browser functions Free accounts: ChatGPT or Gemini, plus Canva