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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National Geographic photos to go on sale
For the first time the National Geographic Society will be putting photographs from its archives on sale. As reported in the New York Times a selection from the archives will be offered through the Steven Kasher Gallery in Manhattan, beginning September 17. Several of the photos have never been published or exhibited, and most date… Read more
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Mona Lisa mugged
A Russian woman attacked Leonardo’s Mona Lisa at the Louvre on August 2 by throwing an empty mug she apparently had just purchased at the gift shop. No damage was done to the painting, however, as the mug shattered on contact with the protective glass. It is unclear whether the woman suffered from Stendhal Syndrome… Read more
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MAK Center in LA announces fall architecture tour
MAK Center (The Schindler House) has posted the itinerary (pdf) for its upcoming annual Architecture Tour. Set for October 4, the tour focuses on seven houses in the Los Feliz and Silver Lake areas. The highlight will be Schindler’s How House in Silver Lake, but other featured architects include Gregory Ain, Raphael Soriano, Harwell Harris… Read more
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More contemporary art in ARTstor
ARTstor’s Digital Library has added more than 4,600 additional images from the Larry Qualls Archive of contemporary art. This most recent release includes images from New York City gallery exhibitions during Summer & Fall 2002 and Winter & Spring 2003. The most current release brings the number of available Qualls Archive images to more than… Read more
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Architectural “Projections” in Hamburg
Check out this 4 1/2-minute YouTube video of Roman Signer’s 3-d projection that transforms a facade of O. M. Ungers’ Galerie der Gegenwart, Kunsthalle, in Hamburg. The original projection is part of the exhibition “Roman Signer. Projektionen: Super-8-Filme und Videos 1975-2008“. Read more
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ARTstor collection releases
Here is the latest list of interesting collection additions in the works at ARTstor: School of Architecture at UT-Austin: Completed release of more than 5,700 images from the Hal Box and Logan Wagner Collection of Mexican Architecture and Urban Design (search terms: box wagner) Yale University Art Gallery: Approximately 18,000 images related to the ancient… Read more