LIVE ONLINE WORKSHOP
AI for Artists: From Curiosity to Creative Systems
with Kristen Palana, Master Artist & Mentor
Build your own AI Studio Assistant and learn how to use it for feedback, workflow, and real world artistic opportunity.
Build your own personalized AI Studio Assistant trained to reflect your voice and creative goals
Use AI to generate thoughtful feedback and market insights from your artwork
Conduct targeted research to uncover relevant grants, residencies, and exhibition opportunities
Refine artist statements and compress application materials to meet strict character limits without losing your voice
Create a repeatable AI supported workflow for writing, planning, and strategic growth
Audience: Fine Art Painters, Photographers, Digital Artists, Fiber Artists, Sculptors
Stage: This workshop is suitable for creatives at any stage.
Session Dates & Times:
Saturdays
May 9 & 16
11 am-1 pm MDT / 1-3 pm EDT /
5 pm-7 pm GMT
$86.90
Out of stock
WORKSHOP Description
Artificial intelligence is evolving quickly, but most artists are still either overwhelmed by it or experimenting without a clear system.
This two session workshop is designed to move you from curiosity to integration. Instead of treating AI as a novelty or replacement, we will position it as a thoughtful studio partner, one that supports your voice, refines your ideas, and strengthens your professional workflow.
In Session 1, we begin with a gentle exploration using ArtHelper AI to generate feedback, mockups, and market insights from your existing work. Then you will build your own personalized AI Studio Assistant inside ChatGPT, trained on your artist statement, tone, goals, and creative direction. By the end of the first session, you will have a working assistant that writes in your voice and understands your practice.
In Session 2, we move into strategy and opportunity. You will learn how to use AI for deep research to uncover open calls, grants, residencies, and exhibition opportunities tailored specifically to your medium and goals. We will then apply AI in real time to refine artist statements, compress text to character limits, tailor applications to specific calls, and strengthen your positioning, all using the assistant you created.
We will also explore how to use specialized custom GPT helpers as practical guides for areas outside your comfort zone. These can function like free assistants who help you draft a Facebook ad, plan a trip for a residency abroad, generate recipes from what is in your fridge, or build a structured plan for your art business. You will learn how to dictate a creative, stream of consciousness brain dump and have an art business or career coach style GPT help organize your ideas into a focused plan for the day, week, or quarter. The goal is not dependency, but clarity and forward momentum.
This workshop is ideal for artists who have experimented with AI and want to use it more intentionally, as well as those who are newer but ready to build practical systems. The focus is not on hype or image generation. It is on workflow, clarity, confidence, and sustainable creative growth.
You will leave with tools you can use immediately and a repeatable system you can continue refining long after the workshop ends.
🎥 WORKSHOP RECORDINGS available for 1-YEAR after the workshop ends!
🎥 NOTE: Workshop Recordings may be offered for sale at a future date at Mastrius, with the consent of the instructor.
High School, University, and College students get 20% OFF. See FAQs at the bottom of page.
Supply List
Participants should prepare the following:
A ChatGPT or Claude account, free or paid
A free ArtHelper AI account, recommended for live participation in Session 1
One artwork as a digital image file to upload for feedback and mockups
Your current artist statement and or bio in digital format
Optional: one current grant, open call, residency, or opportunity you may want to refine during Session 2
A stable internet connection
No prior technical expertise is required, though basic familiarity with AI prompting is helpful.
Come ready to experiment, refine, and leave with something built.
Instructor Bio
Kristen Palana is an American/Portuguese multidisciplinary artist based in Rome, Italy. After decades of work as a digital artist, she reconnected with her fine art roots in 2021. Her mixed media drawings, inspired by the ambitious mission statements of the world’s top organizations, serve as a call to action to visualize better outcomes for our lives, communities, and the planet. Her time living in Myanmar and Malawi from 2016 to 2024 also deeply influenced her work, celebrating diverse cultures and exploring themes of unity and oneness. Kristen’s earlier animations have been showcased at over 75 international film festivals, earning numerous awards for “Best Animated Short Film,” including from the Cannes Short Film Festival, Italy International Film Festival, and Sunscreen Film Festival.
As an educator, Kristen has taught at universities on four continents. She co-founded the Film and Digital Media BFA at The American University of Rome, where she taught full-time beginning in 2006, earned tenure in 2009, and led the Film and Digital Media Program from 2013 to 2016. From 2016 to 2019, she expanded her teaching to academic institutions and NGOs in Myanmar, including at the groundbreaking American University of Myanmar. Currently, Kristen offers in-person, hybrid, and online courses and training for various organizations, including returning to teach at The American University of Rome.
In addition to her fine art practice, Kristen has worked as a designer, educator, and consultant for international agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The British High Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Food Programme (WFP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and The Australian High Commission. Kristen crafts training programs catering to diverse audiences and, since 2014, has reached over 80,000 online students from 191 countries. Her learners range from refugees and diplomats to individuals without formal education living on less than $2 USD a day, reflecting her commitment to inclusivity and empowerment.
