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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Gargoyles at the University of Chicago
If you’re feeling a bit gothic, check out this website with images of gargoyles and other medieval-inspired architectural sculpture at the University of Chicago. [Note: Other great images found on Flickr] Read more
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Cultural analytics at the UCSD CalIT2 “Wall”
Last week we got a demonstration of The Wall at the CalIT2 center at UC San Diego by Professor Lev Manovich and post-doctoral student Jeremy Douglass. As stated on their website, they believe that “a systematic use of large-scale computational analysis and interactive visualization of cultural data sets and data streams will become a major… Read more
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National Portrait Gallery vs. Wikipedia
The National Portrait Gallery in London is accusing a Wikipedia volunteer of downloading over 3000 high-resolution images onto the free online encyclopedia’s Wikimedia Commons. The NPG asserts that this denies revenue for the museum and is threatening legal action. Wikipedia counters that the museum is “betraying its public service mission.” via BBC News and Wikinews Read more
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Architectural photographer Julius Shulman dies
Julius Shulman, whose images helped shape appreciation for and scholarship of mid-20th-century Modernist architects and their buildings, died at his Los Angeles home Wednesday night. He was 98. obituary via Los Angeles Times Read more
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Lens: The NYT Photo Blog
The New York Times has a terrific photojournalism blog called “Lens”. It includes both NYT photographers’ images as well as amateur photography, and incorporates photos, slideshows, and videos. There is also news on the art and practice of photography. Today’s showcase images are of people watching the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. The blog has… Read more
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Is Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s project “Over the River” over?
Christo and Jeanne-Claude‘s project Over the River (with links here and here), where the artists drape material over parts of the Arkansas River in Colorado, is facing stiff opposition. The group, calling themselves Rags Over the Arkansas River (ROAR), is protesting the project over environmental, commercial and recreational issues. via denverpost.com UPDATE (19 May 2011):… Read more