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 greatest art forger of the 20th century?
Filmmaker (The Fog of War) and essayist Errol Morris has begun the first of what will be a seven-part essay on the power of fakes and forgeries. Here Morris explores the story of Han van Meegeren, a painter and art dealer who was accused of collaborating with the Nazis in the Netherlands, including selling a… Read more
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British Museum digital image service
The British Museum has a free image service that delivers high quality* digital scans of many works of art in their collection. To use this service, which allows you to receive 100 images per month for non-commercial use: Click the Use digital image button on any image page (located beneath the image thumbnail; if this… Read more
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Annenberg Space for Photography now open
Red Dot visited the new Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City on the weekend and found it an interesting experience on many levels. The physical space is fresh, and rethinks the way photography can be exhibited and viewed. The current show on eleven Los Angeles-based photographers covers a wide array of content, style, technique,… Read more
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Kimbell Art Museum acquires Michelangelo painting
The museum, located in Fort Worth, announced on 13 May that it has purchased what is believed to be not only the earliest painting executed by the artist, but also the first to belong to an American collection. via Kimbell Art Museum website. Read more