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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
The VRC’s new home and new name
As of today, August 2, the entire History of Art & Architecture Dept., including the Visual Resources Collection, has been relocated to Ellison Hall. The VRC is still in the middle of what is a very big move, but hopefully by tomorrow the unpacking and settling in can start. New location = new beginnings =… Read more
-
The VRC move has begun!
Beginning at 8:30 this morning the movers started taking out the remaining slide cabinets and light tables and many, many boxes. We’re moving over to a new, temporary home at Ellison Hall. Details on our new space and contact info forthcoming, along with more pictures of this gargantuan move. Read more