Steinberg weaves conversations about AI, information access
As generative artificial intelligence changes how people find, assess and produce information, a Toronto textile artist and librarian is bringing the conversation to Annapolis Royal. ARTSPLACE Gallery welcomes Reece Steinberg for a residency examining how libraries are responding to AI and what their role might be in an increasingly automated information landscape.
“Librarians in the Loop” runs September 20 to 30. Steinberg will use the residency to continue a body of work based on interviews with librarians about the opportunities and pressures created by generative AI, particularly in education, research and public access to information. The interviews become the source material for large, colourful woven tapestries. Steinberg’s use of weaving is intentional. As AI-generated text becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish from human writing, the physical process of making offers a different way to document research and communicate ideas. The resulting works consider how trust, connection and knowledge can be built when familiar forms of information are changing. Steinberg will work with found yarn and a curb-found toy loom.
An open studio session September 26, from noon to 2 p.m., will give visitors an opportunity to see the work in progress and speak with the artist about his research and practice.
Steinberg is a textile artist and department head at Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries. His work as an artist and librarian is closely connected, with questions around information access, library learning and research support informing his artistic practice.
The residency will also extend into the Annapolis Royal Library through a partnership with the Friends of the Annapolis Royal Library. September 22 at 7 p.m., the library will host a screening of “The Librarians,” a 2025 documentary directed by Kim A. Snyder. The film follows librarians in Texas, Florida and other United States states as they organize in response to book banning and other challenges facing libraries. While the film focuses on the American experience, its broader questions about access to information, technology and the role of libraries within their communities connect directly with the concerns explored by Steinberg. Admission is by donation, with the proceeds shared to support The Friends of the Annapolis Royal Library and ARTSPLACE Gallery.
RTSPLACE is a public art gallery operated by the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council, a registered charitable, community organization dedicated to encouraging and promoting the arts.
ARTSPLACE Gallery is located at 396 St. George Street in Annapolis Royal.
