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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Computer art of a different kind
For your Friday fun, check out this slide show on wired.com of recycled computer circuit boards as “circuitry sculpture”. The artist, Theo Kamecke, creates both functional works (like this manuscript chest, left) as well as freestanding and wall pieces. For recent works not on his website, click here. Read more
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Anyone want to buy a Frank Lloyd Wright house? Anyone???
In a sad sign of the times there are two FLW houses on the market in LA, and no takers. Ennis House was extensively renovated and listed last summer for $15 million. A year later the price has dropped to $7.5 million. La Miniatura in Pasadena was listed two years ago for $7.7 million and… Read more
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Zooming in to Daguerreotypes
Wired Magazine has a fascinating article about the conservation of a famous set of daguerreotypes. In 1848 Charles Fontayne and William Porter created a “panorama” (actually eight separate plates) of the Cincinnati waterfront. Because the plates were so big (6.5×8.5″) the detail in each is astonishing. The plates had acquired a lot of dirt and… Read more
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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