Michael Burton
Assistant Professor and Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery Director2007 M.F.A., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
2000 B.F.A., Green Mountain College
My creative work in film-making and animation focuses on stories from the 19th and early 20th centuries. I am interested in people with extraordinary pasts who have mostly been left out of the cultural and historical record. I work closely with historical and literary scholars, costume designers, and production professionals to make Historical Animated Films. I use a hybrid form of live-action film on green screen and animation to create looks that resemble prints and illustrations of the period.
A new area of creative research is with Motion Capture (MoCap) technology. I am actively seeking Masters students with interest in MoCap to join my research team to create digital clothing and animated avatars for historical animations. (RA position available)
Service-learning is central to my teaching philosophy. Undergraduate through Ph.D. students work in paid roles on my productions too.
Selected Exhibitions:
Bronze Lens Film Festival, Atlanta, GA
New Media Film Festival (Best Animation) L.A., CA
Virginia Film Festival, Charlottesville, VA
Hip Hop Film Festival, Bronx, NY
Utopia Film Festival, Greenbelt, MD
Atlantic Selects, The Atlantic magazine
Anchorage International Film Festival
Museum of Nebraska Art, Kearney, NE
“Art Seen" Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
Notable Funding:
National Endowment for the Humanities $200,000
Maryland Humanities Council $8,300
Cather Project $8,000
UNL Arts and Humanities Research Fellowship $10,000
Areas of Expertise:
Art and Design
Animation