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: CFP – CUDAN 2023 (Tallinn/13-16 Dec 23)
Cultural Data Analytics Conference 2023 / CUDAN 2023 Abstract Submission Deadline: July 24, 2023 (23:59 CET) CUDAN 2023 is organized by the ERA Chair project for Cultural Data Analytics at Tallinn University, generously funded by the European Commission. Inspired by initial large gatherings of the cultural analytics community, including UCLA/IPAM 2016, and multidisciplinary conferences such… Read more
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DH Monday: CFP – Digitally Mapping the Middle Ages (South Bend, IN; March 14-16, 2024)
Medieval Academy of America 2024 University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, Mar 14–16, 2024 Abstract Submission Deadline: May 30, 2023 Since the Spatial turn in the late 1980s, theorists and historians alike have championed the insights geospatial analysis can lend to historical research. The digital age produced a robust array of digital Geographical Information… Read more
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DH Monday: Recreating Europe: Code of Best Practices on Creative Reuse for Immersive Experiences
This Code of Best Practices (published June 30, 2022), authored by Bartolomeo Meletti (CREATe, University of Glasgow) and Stef van Gompel (IViR, University of Amsterdam; Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) aims to help digital heritage curators and creators make informed decisions around the lawful reuse of existing materials in immersive experiences or other experimental products. It is… Read more
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DH Monday: Webinar – Watermark Match Discoveries in Drawings by Rembrandt
Watermark Match Discoveries in Drawings by Rembrandt Wednesday, May 17 @ 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. EDT / 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. PDT Hosted by Frick Madison – Live via Zoom C. Richard Johnson, Jr. (Cornell University and Utrecht University) Robert Fucci (University of Amsterdam) Join the Frick Art Reference Library for a digital art history… Read more
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DH Monday: Beautiful Public Data
Beautiful Public Data, is a curated selection of visually interesting datasets collected by local, state and federal government agencies by Jon Keegana. From his About page: I’m an investigative data reporter with a background in visuals. While digging through government agencies’ websites looking for data, I’ve always loved coming across data sets that are collections… Read more
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New Art-Historical Web Resource: The Albrecht Haupt Collection
The digital Albrecht Haupt Collection is now accessible online. Under TIB SAH digital, the partial holdings of individual hand drawings and prints from the special collections of the Technische Informationsbibliothek Hannover (TIB) have been made available with open access and text in German or English. Approximately 6,200 works on paper from four centuries on various… Read more