Michael Burton

Assistant Professor - Director Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery - Center for Digital Research in the Humanities Fellow - Research Affiliate in the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools

Department of Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Address: GNHS 220A
Lincoln NE 68583-0802
Phone: 5085244078
Email: mburton4@unl.edu
Website: Animating History
Social Media

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Michael specializes in CG art, film, animation, and digital fashion. His films have won national awards. He led his collaborative team to secure a 10-year distribution deal with Random Media for their film titled The Bell Affair in partnership with NUTech Ventures LLC. In 2016, he co-founded the Animating History Lab at UNL. His growing YouTube channel features educational content on Clo3D, After Effects, Blender, and Adobe Illustrator expanding the reach of his work in film and animation.

Michael teaches: Computer Basics for Fashion, Visualization Studio, Color Studio, Advanced Design for Printed Textiles, and Digital Apparel Design.

Freshman and sophomore undergraduate students in Michael's courses gain immediate experience showcasing their designs and artwork in gallery exhibits, on-campus displays, and Omaha Fashion Week. Here are a few examples of what you will learn.

Education

2000 - BFA - Green Mountaion College

2007 - MFA - Fine Art - University of Nebraska Lincoln

Areas of Expertise

Art and Design
Digital Fashion
Animation

Selected Film Festivals and Exhibitions

2024 Phoenix Film Festival (juried) - April 2024
2024 Omaha Film Festival (juried) - March 2024
2022 Silk Roads International Film Festival (juried)- October 2022 Cannes, France
2022 Prince George’s Film Festival (juried) – September 2022 Bowie, MD
2022 Art Struct – Vero Beach Museum of Art (invited) – Dec 2022 Vero Beach, FL
2022 The 15th Annual Digital Graffiti (juried)– May 2022 Alys Beach, FL
2021 Floor of the Sky (solo) Kiechel Fine Art Lincoln, NE.
2020 A Gold Slipper (solo) Kiechel Fine Art Lincoln, NE.
2020 Nebraska Now; Anna (solo) Museum of Nebraska Art Kearney, NE.
2020 A Gold Slipper (solo) Willa Cather Foundation Museum Red Cloud, NE.
2019 Hip Hop Film Festival (juried) Harlem, NY.
2018 Virginia Film Festival (juried) Charlottesville, VA
2018 New Media Film Festival (juried) Los Angeles, CA.
2018 Utopia Film Festival (juried) Greenbelt, MD.
2018 Atlantic Selects Film Screening Online
2018 Bronze Lens Film Festival (juried) Atlanta, GA
2015 Art Seen Joslyn Art Museum (juried) Omaha, NE
2011 Blink! Light, Sound and the Moving Image -Denver Art Museum Denver, CO

Grants

Funded - Internal Support

M. Burton, Dreher, K. Thomas, W.G. (2023 - 2024) UNL Research Council: Layman Grant, Animating History; Using Film as an Educational Tool to Tell Stories of Enslaved Families Who Sought Freedom through the Law - $10,000
M. Burton, Dreher, K. Thomas, W.G. (2022-2023) UNL Research Council: Interdisciplinary Research Grant – Animating History Lab, The Diary of Michael Shiner – Film Production $20,000
M. Burton, Casto, M.A., Starkey, S. (2022) UNL Convocations Grant – Kendra Benson – This Woman’s Work – Exhibition and lecture in the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery- $1,000
M. Burton (2021-2022) Bridge Funds - CEHS Audrey Newton Innovation and Excellence fund– Animation staff for Animating History Lab - $12,000
M. Burton (2021) GAP Funding – UNL Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor - $2,000
M. Burton, Starkey, S. (2021-2022) CEHS Technology Innovation Grant – Motion Capture for Animation $7,370
M. Burton (2017-2019) UNL Cather Project - A Gold Slipper film and art exhibition production grant $8,000
M. Burton, Thomas, W.G. (2016-2017) UNL Arts and Humanities Research Enhancement Program Grant - support for film production of Anna $10,000
M. Burton (2016) Hixson Lied Dean’s Office - support for film production of Anna $2000
M. Burton (2013-2014) CEHS Technology Innovation Grant – “Vault” Video Tutorial Database - $13,500
Funded - External Support
M. Burton, Dreher, K. Thomas, W.G. (2021-2022) Kitty M. Perkins Foundation NU Foundation - The Bell Affair finish costs for distribution $20,000
M. Burton, Dreher, K. Thomas, W.G. (2019-2021) National Endowment for the Humanities - Media Production grant $200,000
M. Burton, Dreher, K. Thomas, W.G. (2020-2021) Maryland Humanities Major Grant – Media Production grant $8,400
M. Burton (2016) Hatchfund.org Crowd - funding support for film production of Anna $4,300
M. Burton (2013) Nebraska Arts Council - Distinguished Film Maker Award $5,000

Recent Press

Ozaki, A. (2024, March 25). New movie produced by UNL professors debuts Tuesday. KETV News Omaha. https://www.ketv.com/article/new-movie-produced-by-unl-professor-debuts-tuesday/60300225
Dawson, D. (2023, February 16). The Bell Affair brought local history to the screen. Greenbelt News Review.
Research and Economic Development. (2023, June 20). 17 faculty earn Layman Awards for research. Nebraska Today. https://cehs.unl.edu/news/bell-affair-team-helping-high-school-classes-animate-history/
Moser, D. (2023, June 20). 2023-24 Layman Awards recipients named. Research and Economic Development.
Ford, W. (2022, June 2). Animation documentary tells story of enslaved family who fought for freedom. Washington Informer. https://www.washingtoninformer.com/animation-documentary-tells-story-of-enslaved-family-who-fought-for-freedom/
Kast, S. (2022, May 14). The searing story of the enslaved family’s fight for freedom. On The Record. https://www.wypr.org/show/on-the-record/2022-05-19/the-searing-story-of-the-enslaved-bell-familys-fight-for-freedom
Gayman, D. (2022, April 4). New film, ‘Bell Affair’ explores freedom suits in America. Nebraska Today. https://news.unl.edu/article/new-film-bell-affair-explores-freedom-suits-in-america
Nelson, A. (2022, February 23). UNL professors create film celebrating Black-led emancipation. Daily Nebraskan. https://www.dailynebraskan.com/culture/unl-professors-create-film-celebrating-black-led-emancipation/article_7319b388-943c-11ec-ad7f-9bbd2176dfd6.html
Kiechel Fine Art. (2022, April 2). Kiechel Fine Art showcases NFTs by local artists. Nebraska News Service. https://www.nebraskanewsservice.net/news/local/kiechel-fine-art-center-showcases-nfts-by-local-artists/article_c3aabb31-a6fd-5acb-9a53-2a801fbb616c.html
Nebraska Quarterly Magazine. (2021, Fall). Professor earns kudos for history of freedom suits (p. 34). https://issuu.com/nebraskaalumni/docs/nq_fall_2021_web
Gayman, D. (2021, December 3). Willa Cather’s ‘A Gold Slipper’ adapted for exhibition. Nebraska Today. https://news.unl.edu/article/willa-cathers-a-gold-slipper-adapted-for-exhibition
Wolgamott, L. K. (2021, September 6). NFTs, the hottest new product in the art market, come to Lincoln. Lincoln Journal Star. https://journalstar.com/news/local/nfts-the-hottest-new-product-in-the-art-world-come-to-lincoln/article_fd59c9ba-2af0-56aa-af9c-9839a41187f3.html
Kiechel, F. (2021, August 30). Kiechel features Burton’s Nebraska-inspired artworks. Nebraska Today. https://news.unl.edu/article/kiechel-features-burtons-nebraska-inspired…

Honors and Recognition

Best Animation (Best in Category)- Prince George's Film Festival
Best in Animation Category - New Media Film Festival
CEHS Distinguished Research and Creative Activity Award
Dudziak Prize for Legal History - Anna film
NUtech Creative Works of the Year Award
Distinguished Filmmaker Nebraska Arts Council