Named after the small red sticker that once guided scholars through legacy 35mm slides, The Red Dot is here to help you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of visual and material research. While rooted in the University of California, Santa Barbara community, our posts are open to all.
At MIRL, we engage with art history, digital humanities, and material culture through hands-on research and archival projects. Guided by our core principles—critical engagement with visual and material culture, ethical stewardship of images and data, and innovative approaches to research and pedagogy—we work at the intersection of technology and the humanities. We are especially interested in how digital tools can expand the study of images, objects, and spaces.
Here, we’ll share insights on Digital Art History and Architectural History, highlight new image and data resources, discuss copyright and ethical considerations, and spotlight events that shape our field.
The Red Dot © 2025 is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
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Guggenheim Museum offers new e-books and -essays
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has released e-books of selected museum publications, including the exhibition catalogue of the current show Maurizio Cattelan: All. According to the museum, the Guggenheim is “the first museum to release an exhibition catalogue e-book.” Technically, these digital editions follow traditional book designs as well as allow searching, bookmarking pages, enlarging… Read more
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Neutra’s Kronish House update: Beverly Hills’ new historic preservation ordinance approved
This past summer we mentioned that Richard Neutra’s Kronish House could be set for demolition — a move fought by Neutra’s son Dion among others. This week the Beverly Hills City Council voted not only to set new rules for demolishing or altering structures at least 45 years old and designed by a “city-recognized architect,”… Read more
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Art|Architecture on Film series at UCSB
There’s a terrific series of films showing in the next couple of months at the new Pollock Theater on campus. The series is co-presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures, the Carsey-Wolf Center, and the Art, Design & Architecture Museum (formerly the UAM and ADC). The series kicks off on Sunday, Jan. 15 with The Universe… Read more
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The 30 million dollar punch
A visitor to the new Clyfford Still Museum in Denver defaced a painting worth $30-40 million. It’s not clear what her motives were, but she punched, scratched, leaned on, and attempted to urinate on (!?) 1957-J-No. 2 , seen at left. Okay, she was drunk. In the middle of the afternoon. In a museum?? Via… Read more
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New Fair Use statement released
The Visual Resources Association has released a Statement on the Fair Use of Images in Teaching, Research, and Study. The statement recommends assertiveness on the part of the academic community, and awareness of the guidelines. It concludes that there are six uses of copyrighted still images that fall within the U.S. doctrine of fair use. … Read more
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Faculty publication #2: Ernst L. Freud, Architect, by Volker Welter
The second book to be launched in our department this month is Ernst L. Freud, Architect: The Case of the Modern Bourgeois Home, by Volker Welter, UCSB architectural historian. In addition to being a prolific architect, primarily domestic architecture, Freud was the son of Sigmund Freud. Congratulations, Prof. Welter! Read more