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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Wagering art on the Super Bowl outcome
One way to put your art where your mouth is: The Milwaukee Art Museum and Carnegie Museum of Art have agreed to wager a loan of a major work of Impressionist art on the outcome of Super Bowl XLV. The bet continues a tradition begun last year between the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the… Read more
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Expanded Archivision content now on MDID
We now have all the Archivision content that is licensed by UCSB available locally on MDID. This means you have the choice of accessing it there or through ARTstor. Through both interfaces we now have the Base collection, plus Modules 1, 2 and 4 – a total of 34,736 high-quality images. The content includes architecture,… Read more
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Recent ARTstor additions and agreements
ARTstor Digital Library now contains these collections: Renzo Piano Building Workshop: 299 images of Piano’s early works (1965-1969) and his major projects to date, including plans and preparatory drawings NEW! Themed collection: Judith and Holofernes, sponsored by a grant from the Jessica E. Smith and Kevin R. Brine Charitable Trust, of 332 images added to… Read more
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Detroit in ruins
There was a very powerful and disturbing photo essay in the Guardian recently about Detroit as an abandoned city. The photographers, Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre, visited theaters, libraries, churches, and office buildings that are in varying states of decay. In some cases they appear to have been evacuated in hasty and mysterious ways, as… Read more
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Yale launches James J. Ross Archive of African Images
Yale University now hosts the James J. Ross Archive of African Images, 1590-1920 (RAAI), which contains approximately 5,000 illustrations of African art published before 1921. The archive represents an eight-year collaboration between African art collector James Ross and filmmaker Susan Vogel, a former director of the Museum for African Art, and is facilitated by Yale… Read more
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A(nother) new Broad museum announced for LA
Plans are being finalized and announced for the new Broad Art Foundation contemporary art museum and foundation headquarters in Los Angeles. The winning design by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro will provide a stunning addition to the downtown area (Grand Ave., right across from Disney Hall). It is planned for completion is 2013, and will show… Read more