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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DH Monday: Workshop – Publics of First Public Museums (Rome/19-20 Oct 23)
Deadline for titles and abstracts submissions: 30 July 2023 The International Work-in-Progress Workshop on Publics of the First Public Museums: Institutional sources (18th-19th century), part of the Research Project Visibility Reclaimed: Experiencing Rome’s First Public Museums (1733-1870), directed by Carla Mazzarelli, is the first of a series of three workshops, the aim of which is… Read more
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Statement on the negative impact of the Italian Ministry of Culture’s Decree No. 161 of April 11, 2023 on research and circulation of Italian cultural heritage images
We are deeply concerned about the implications of the Italian Ministry of Culture’s Decree titled “Guidelines for the determination of the minimum amounts of fees and charges for the concession of use of cultural heritage kept by national institutes and places of culture” (D.M. April 11, 2023, no. 161). We shared the opinion expressed by… Read more
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New Digital Resource: Project Himalayan Art
The Rubin Museum of Art, in collaboration with a faculty Humanities Advisory Group, have recently launched Project Himalayan Art: a three-part initiative that offers comprehensive resources for teaching about Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian art and cultures, with a focus on cross-cultural exchange. This dynamic project serves as a content hub for teaching about Asia… Read more
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DH Monday: “Artists’ depictions of climate data can cut through politicisation of science, study finds”
A study conducted recently in the US suggests artistic depictions of environmental data can help counter climate scepticism. Art may be one tool to help bridge ideological splits over climate change in the United States, a new study in the 31 May issue of the journal Nature finds. Its five authors say that art offers… Read more
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DH Monday: CFP – International Journal of Islamic Architecture Special Issue: The Urgency of the Digital
International Journal of Islamic Architecture (IJIA) Special Issue: The Urgency of the Digital Thematic volume planned for July 1, 2025 Proposal Submission Deadline: June 15, 2023 This special issue focuses on the critical and urgent use of digital tools, interfaces, media, and methods for the study and design of Islamic architecture, cities, and the built environment. Over recent decades,… Read more
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DH Monday: CFP – Society of Architectural Historians 2024 Annual International Conference (April 17–21/Albuquerque, NM)
Society of Architectural Historians 2024 Annual International Conference April 17–21 in Albuquerque, New Mexico Abstracts Submission Deadline: June 6, 2023, 11:59 p.m. CDT Session: Mapping Late Ottoman Architecture, Ideas, Objects, and People in Flux Ottoman architectural and urban culture was transformed by momentous changes in the 19th century. Advances in transportation and communication technologies resulted… Read more