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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Digital Preservation and Nuclear Disaster
In case you have any questions about the benefits of metadata and proper digital preservation, watch this short YouTube video (Brought to you by your friendly digital preservationists at the VRC) Read more
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News Flash: Gauguin cut off Van Gogh’s ear
You heard it here first – Paul Gauguin cut off Van Gogh’s ear with a sword during an argument but they kept a “pact of silence”. via The Daily Telegraph Read more
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More on copyright
The Copyright Clearance Center has loads of information to help with copyright questions, including this 6-minute video that breaks down the basics. The Copyright Alliance is another organization with a very helpful website, including a section specifically for Educators. Read more
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Is it copyrighted?
Ever wonder if that manuscript, book, image, etc. is protected under U.S. copyright laws? The American Library Association has come up with a fantastic tool to help answer that question: http://librarycopyright.net/digitalslider/. It lets users scroll through numerous copyright terms for works published or created during different time periods and under various conditions. Read more
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Richard Neutra drawings at LA Public Library
“Richard Neutra, Architect: Sketches and Drawings” just opened and is on until September 6 at the Central Library in LA – it consists of material from UCLA’s Young Library Special Collections. There will also be a series of lectures by architects in conjunction with the exhibit through the ALOUD series at the library. Read more
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Organizing your images with Cooliris
Cooliris is a plug-in for your browser which displays images in a wonderful “3D Wall” effect – you can browse your own image folders, or online image searches (google, flickr, etc.). There’s a great explanation of it here: http://aahvrc.blogspot.com/search?q=cooliris Read more