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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The Big Picture – news and current events photo archive
The Big Picture, part of the Boston Globe online, is a massive archive of browsable and downloadable news photos. The up-to-the-minute images are organized by month and by categories such as Middle East, Religion, Daily Life, Disasters, etc. Each topic includes several photos, and in some cases (such as the post-Hurricane Ike group under “Disasters”)… Read more
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Edward Burtynsky talk at USC, Jan. 28
If you are in LA this week you should try to attend “In the Wake of Progress: An Evening with Edward Burtynsky”. It takes place Thursday, January 28, 7pm, at the Gin D. Wong FAIA Conference Center/ Auditorium, Harris Hall 101 at USC as part of the “Visions and Voices” program. Admission is free. Canadian… Read more
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New ARTstor collection announcements
ARTstor has announced the following are available in the Digital Library: Brooklyn Museum Costumes (The Metropolitan Museum of Art): 5,883 high resolution images of highlights from the Brooklyn Museum now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute (keywords: brooklyn costume) The Samuel H. Kress Collection and National Gallery of Art: 1,757 images from… Read more
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Fine Art Study Break
When you find yourself with a moment to spare (or are in need of a quick break from the task at hand), check out the blog That Is Priceless by comedy writer Steve Melcher, who daily offers his “slightly funnier” take on the subject matter in various works of art. Read more
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Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s “Historic Cities”
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Department of Geography and The Jewish National and University Library offer a fantastic website dedicated to “maps, literature, documents, books and other relevant material concerning the past, present and future of historic cities”. The site is searchable by area, mapmaker or year, and each image can be viewed in high… Read more
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“Soundsuit” exhibition at the Fowler Museum
A fantastic exhibit is opening this weekend at the Fowler Museum at UCLA (Jan. 10 to May 30). Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth includes 35 multimedia costumes/soundsuits designed by artist/dancer/costume designer Nick Cave (not the Australian singer!). We saw this show in San Francisco and it’s really terrific. You… Read more