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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Anaheim’s MUZEO to open Mexican Art show with free admission
The MUZEO in Anaheim will celebrate its next exhibition by opening its doors to free admission for the opening weekend. Miradas: Ancient Roots in Modern and Contemporary Mexican Art from the Bank of America Collection, which runs 10 September 2010 through 9 January 2011, highlights both Mexican artists and American artists who worked in Mexico.… Read more
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Ownership dispute over Michelangelo’s “David”
The Guardian reports that Italy’s state government now asserts it is the true owner of Michelangelo’s iconic sculpture rather than the city of Florence. Lawyers hired by the state have said they’ve found archival proof that the work’s ownership passed to the state when it absorbed the Florentine Republic in the nineteenth century. The mayor… Read more
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Some online time wasters, I mean “Sites for Expressing Your Creativity”
Flower Power – flowing, psychedelic flower designs – very soothing (and reminiscent of The Wonderful World of Disney!) Mr. PicassoHead – pretty self-explanatory – potato heads in the style of Picasso, ca. 1920 Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Prints – change the colors on the famous print of Marilyn Monroe ArtPad – paint on a canvas, using… Read more
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Why a red door?
We’re settling in to our new home at Ellison, and getting to like our new red doors more and more. Since the fire marshal required us to get a big metal door we thought the least we can do is have it painted an interesting color. Why red? In addition to the color having a… Read more
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Additions and promises to ARTstor’s Digital Library
ARTstor has added these to its Digital Library: ART on FILE: more than 870 images of contemporary architecture in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, bringing this collection to almost 11,000 images (keywords: “art on file” or click here) Seattle Art Museum: 2,718 high-quality images of works in the museum’s permanent collection (keyword: seattleartmuseum or click here) Here… Read more
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Use your phone to explore SFMOMA
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has devised a way to turn your cell phone or MP3 player into a multimedia gallery guide. If your phone has the capability, you can download audio-only or image-enhanced “artcasts”; this feature is possible on a MP3 player if you search iTunes for “SFMOMA Artcasts.” Also available is… Read more