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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MOCA announces 2015-2016 exhibition schedule
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles has posted their advanced schedule for 2015-2016 exhibitions at all three MOCA venues (MOCA Grand Avenue, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, and MOCA Pacific Design Center), including: When Fashion Shows The Danger Then Fashion Is The Danger. Bernhard Willhelm and Jutta Kraus. 3000. (February 7 – May 17,… Read more
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Florence’s Pazzi Chapel seeks restoration funds via Kickstarter
Pazzi Chapel, a 15th-century landmark within Florence’s Santa Croce complex, is reaching out to potential donors around the world to help fund a much-needed restoration of the chapel’s loggia. The loggia, by Filippo Brunelleschi (but completed by Michelozzo and Guiliano da Maiano) and adorned with colorful tin-glaze terracottas by Luca della Robbia, is deteriorating due… Read more
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The Getty’s Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative (OSCI)
The Getty Foundation partnered with leading art museums to launch the Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative (OSCI) that offers online browsing of each museum’s chosen highlights and scholarly content. The goal of the initiative is to “create models for online catalogues that will dramatically increase access to museum collections; make available new, interdisciplinary, up-to-date research; and… Read more
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The verdict is in: The DIA is safe!
BREAKING NEWS: The federal judge presiding over Detroit’s bankruptcy hearing has ruled in favor of the “Grand Bargain” — a deal to accept $816 million over 20 years from nonprofit foundations, the State of Michigan and DIA donors in exchange for reduced pension cuts and not selling off some (or most) of Detroit Institute of… Read more
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CA Arts License Plates now make great gifts
A while back we posted a great way to support the California Arts Council: getting a license plate featuring Coastline, a sunset-and-palm-tree motif designed by artist Wayne Thieboud. The most recent good news is that this “special interest” plate, the first specialty plate in the U.S. designed solely to benefit the arts, can now be given… Read more
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New Urbanism Film Festival, LA: Nov. 6-9, 2014
The second annual New Urbanism Film Festival will be November 6-9 at the ACME Comedy Theatre, 135 N. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles. The festival was created last year “to move the conversation about urban planning out of the text book and beyond the council chambers and into the movie theater.” You can find more… Read more