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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ARTstor’s new search features
ARTstor just launched some search and filter features that really help you drill down to the images you want. You can start a search with a broad term (e.g. “Cordoba”), then click on the + sign beside “Narrow your results” (upper left). This opens up a filter panel on with options to narrow the search… Read more
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Hammer Museum: 20th anniversary, 20 free days
In celebration of its 20th anniversary this month, the Hammer Museum at UCLA will have 20 days of free admission — from November 26 to December 18. Additionally, the museum’s store will offer 50% discounts on design books (totaling some 10,000 titles) for the entire month of December. Here’s more information on current programs and… Read more
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Public domain newsreels and films online
Two wonderful sources for public domain film footage are available online Universal Newsreels: created between 1929 and 1967, these newsreels cover the major topics of the day. They were put into the public domain by University City Studios. (There are also many more recent pieces of news footage in this college.) Prelinger Archives: a… Read more
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Latest ARTstor additions and announcements
ARTstor’s latest additions to their Digital Library include: Judy Chicago: 367 works by the artist, author, feminist, and educator (keyword: judychicago) George Eastman House: the completion of 19,161 images illustrating the history of photography (keyword: eastmanhouse) And these institutions have agreed to contribute: Museum of the City of New York: over 55,000 images from prints,… Read more