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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Fisk University and the Stieglitz Collection: The ruling
The verdict is in: The Tennessean reports that a Nashville chancery court ruled in favor of Fisk University’s selling a half share of their Stieglitz Collection to Crystal Bridges, an Arkansas museum, to raise operational funds. There is a catch, however: the court ordered the university to set aside 2/3 of the sale—$20 million—in a… Read more
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Free Muybridgizer app from Tate and iTunes
Tate Britain, partnered with iTunes, is offering a free app that allows the user to create images inspired by Eadweard Muybridge. The app, which was launched in conjunction with the Tate exhibition Muybridge at Tate Britain (8 September 2010–16 January 2011), “Muybridge-izes” photos by placing a succession of images into grids and sepia tones. [Note:… Read more
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New additions to our online image collections
We’re continuing to expand our collections in MDID, and hosting more campus image collections. We recently launched the first phase of a collection of Medieval Bibles from UCSB Library’s Special Collections. These were digitized by Sharon Farmer of the History Department and her students. So far there are 197 images from three volumes, with more… Read more
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Mona Lisa is in the building
Mona Lisa paid us a visit this morning, accompanied by a glamourous redhead. We tried to get ML to laugh, but only got that mysterious smile in response. Way to give 110% with the costumes, ladies! Read more
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The latest on Fisk University and the Stieglitz Collection
As we’ve reported before (here and here), Fisk University is pushing to sell a 50% share of their Stieglitz Collection to an Arkansas museum as a way to raise operating funds. The Tennessean recently reported that an anonymous donor has come forward with a pledge to give the university a needed flow of money now… Read more