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: The Dynamics of Media and Technology: Before the Modern Era
NOTE: Updated title, submission deadline, and description (as of July 21)CFP – Edited Volume: The Dynamics of Media and Technology: Before the Modern Era Abstract Submission Deadline (extended): October 15, 2021 As the digital age has shaped our ways of viewing ourselves, society, and culture is has also reframed and revealed new perspectives on viewership and… Read more
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New Art-Historical Web Resource: LYON 16ci – A Visually Searchable Database for Book Illustrations Printed in Lyon between 1480 and 1600
Lyon 16ci is an online database of illustrations printed in Lyon during the Renaissance period. It is the result of the cooperation between the Visual Geometry Group in Oxford and the project “The Illustrated Book in Lyon 1480-1600”, supported by the Equipex Biblissima (2016-2019) and by the Venice Centre for Digital and Public Humanities (2020-2021).… Read more
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DH Monday: CFP: New Directions in 18th and 19th-Century Art (online / Oct 11-Dec 5, 2021)
Digital Seminar Series: New Directions in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Art, Season 5Abstract Submission Deadline: July 31, 2021 This digital seminar series seeks to showcase new and innovative research being undertaken on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century art and its histories. We invite contributions for papers investigating any aspect of the artistic, visual and material cultures of this… Read more
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DH Monday: CFP: Contingent Systems: Art and/as Algorithmic Critique (online / Sept 17- Nov 26, 2021)
Contingent Systems: Art and/as Algorithmic CritiqueVirtual Panel Series hosted by the Alberta University of the Arts (Calgary, Canada) – every 2nd Friday beginning September 17, 2021Call for Papers Deadline: July 6, 2021 Contingent Systems: Art and/as Algorithmic Critique is a panel series that will explore critical intersections between creative practice and algorithmic culture. Starting on… Read more
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GeoGuessr Game Uses Street View to Create a Geographical Puzzle
A geographic discovery game based on Google imagery, GeoGuessr requires players to guess various locations worldwide using only the clues provided by a Street view. Created in 2013, the game has taken on new relevance amidst the pandemic, as it provides a virtual travel experience. From desolate roads to famous sites, the game teases deductive… Read more
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DH Monday: VI Summer School on Digital Art History: Digital Exhibitions (online / Aug 30–Sep 4, 2021)
Application Deadline: July 7, 2021Acceptance Notification: July 14, 2021 The International Digital Art History Summer School (DAHSS), a joint initiative of the University of Málaga and the University of Berkeley, with the collaboration of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the Fundación General de la Universidad de Málaga, and the HDH, will celebrate the sixth… Read more