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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International Council of Museums Updates the Definition of “Museum”
What is a museum? Icom finally decides on a new definition The 50-year-old statement has been overhauled at the International Council of Museums conference in Prague today by Tom Seymour 24 August 2022 The definition of a museum has significantly changed for the first time in 50 years after an unanimous vote by members of… Read more
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DH Monday: CFP – 2023 CAA Session: Digital Humanities and the Future of Art History (New York / February 15–18, 2023)
“Digital Humanities and the Future of Art History” Session, which will present In-Person at CAA’s 111th Annual Conference, (New York / February 15–18, 2023) Sponsored by the Services to Historians of Visual Arts Committee Submission Deadline: Wednesday, August 31 Increasingly, humanists across disciplines are driving digital humanities projects. At the same time, data and digital… Read more
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Artists Rights Society Announces Launch of ARSNL.art
Artists Rights Society (ARS) has launched a new digital affiliate, ARSNL.art (pronounced ‘arsenal’). ARS describes ARSNL as “[r]ooted in legacy, born from technology” as they continue their fight to establish artist resale royalty through legislation it introduced in Congress, arguing for the opportunities that blockchain technology provides for all creators in the form of resale… Read more
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DH Monday: “How Florence Nightingale Changed Data Visualization Forever”
The celebrated nurse improved public health through her groundbreaking use of graphic storytelling. By RJ Andrews Excerpt: Nightingale’s key persuasion tactic was to convey statistics in exciting ways. I recently conducted the first in-depth study of how Nightingale created and used data visualization, and I share my research in the forthcoming book Florence Nightingale, Mortality… Read more
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DH Monday: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Early Modern Art History, AORUM Project (Paris, Oct 1, 2022–Mar 31, 2024)
Application Deadline: September 1, 2022. Funded by the ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche), the AORUM project (‘Analyse de l’OR et de ses Usages comme Matériau pictural (Europe, XVIe-milieu du XVIIe siècle)’ / ‘Analysis of gold and its uses as a painting material (Europe, 16th – 17th c.)’) is led by Romain Thomas (HAR, Université… Read more
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DH Monday: CFP – Urban Humanities Global (Un)Conference (Tucson / March 3-5, 2023)
Deadline to Submit Letter of Intent: September 1st, 2022 CONFERENCE BACKGROUND The urban humanities are a series of practices located at the intersection of architecture, urban studies, and the humanities. Over the last decade, it has been institutionalized as a field through the support of the Mellon Foundation (AUH grant), creating pedagogical programs, research centers,… Read more