Colorado State Fair sees multiple AI art submissions after updating competition rules

Comprising nearly 20 fine arts contest submissions in 2023, digital art created with Generative Artificial Intelligence appears to be an emerging medium at the Colorado State Fair.

Last year, Pueblo West artist Jason Allen's AI-generated art piece, "Théâtre D’opéra Spatial" sparked an intense online debate after the piece was awarded a first-place ribbon at the Colorado State Fair. Competition judges told the Chieftain that they were unaware the piece used AI, but also said knowing this fact beforehand would not have changed their judgement.

Rules for Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition have since been updated to require that artists using Generative Artificial Intelligence disclose their use of such software. This year's exhibition was the first to require this disclosure.

Colorado State Fair sees 19 AI submissions in digital art competitions

Artist were allowed to submit AI-generated artwork in the "Digital Art/Digitally Manipulated Photography Category" at this year's fair. Thirteen of the 33 digital art entries in the Emerging Artist Division used AI. In the Professional Artist Division, 6 of the 11 digital art entries used AI.

The 13 entries using AI in the Emerging Artist Division included work submitted by five different artists. Allen and Lise Swanson were the only artists to submit AI-generated digital artwork to the Professional Artist Division competition.

Of the 19 AI-generated pieces submitted, 14 were on display at the Colorado State Fair. None of the pieces using AI in the Emerging Artist Division won awards, but Lise Swanson's "Sedimental" was a third-place winner in the Professional Artist Division.

One of Allen's pieces, "Grand Finale," received a sponsored award from the Pueblo Arts Alliance. Neither first-place winner in the digital art competition used AI. Ashley Martin's "Disco Dan" won first in the Professional Artist Division. Christine Truesdell's "Lake View" was the first-place winner in the Emerging Artist Division.

'We don't discriminate against any medium'

In total, the Fine Arts Exhibition at this year's Colorado State Fair included eight categories — Digital Art/Digitally Manipulated Photography, Painting, Drawing/Printmaking, Sculpture/3D Ceramics, Photography, Mixed Media, Jewelry/Metalsmithing and Fiber Art.

"We don't discriminate against any medium," said Trisha Fernandez, general entry and fine arts manager at the Colorado State Fair. "We just have to find the right place for the medium."

Outside of the digital competition, first-place winning artists on display at this year's Fine Arts Exhibition included Ryan Aragon, Linn G. Baker, Alex Cosak, Gloria Countryman, Gwen Francis, Allen Holcomb, Rocky Khosla, Rhonda Moreschini, Preston Newell, Alexis Randolph, Paul Renfree, Kimberly Sewell, Kirk Shiflett and Tawnya Williams.

More on the Colorado State Fair: A family, a fair: Pueblo teen continues tradition, wins 'Prince of the Kitchen' at fair

Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado State Fair sees more AI art submissions in 2023 contest