The Red Dot takes its name from the small sticker that once marked slides in a physical archive, flagging them as worth a second look. We’re keeping that spirit alive here.
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.
The Red Dot © 2025 is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Norman Rockwell Museum digitization project
Today marks the debut of ProjectNORMAN at the Norman Rockwell Museum. ProjectNORMAN (New Online Rockwell Media Art & Archive Network), begun in 2003, offers not only the museum’s collection but also all images from the artist’s catalogue raisonné, the contents of his last working studio, objects from the Norman Rockwell Archives (including reference photos and… Read more
-
Los Angeles Art Show: January 16-23, 2011
Mark your calendars for the 16th Annual Los Angeles Art Show, January 16-23 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. One of this year’s highlights is a never before seen exhibition of photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson, courtesy of the Peter Fetterman Gallery, Santa Monica. There is also a Symposia Series and a Guest Country Program featuring… Read more