Education

2000 - BFA - Green Mountaion College

2007 - MFA - Fine Art - University of Nebraska Lincoln 

Areas of Expertise

• Art and Design
• 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

Total: $323,570.00 
External: $237,700 
Institutional: $85,870 

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

Selected Press

• 2022 William Ford, Animation Documentary Tells Story of Enslaved Family Who Fought for Freedom, Washington 
• Informer, June 2, 2022 
• 2022 Sheilah Kast, The Searing Story of the Enslaved Family’s Fight for Freedom, On The Record, May 14, 2022 https://www.wypr.org/show/on-the-record/2022-05-19/the-searing-story-of… 
• 2022 Deann Gayman, New film,‘Bell Affair’ explores freedom suits in America, Nebraska Today, April 4, 2022 
• 2022 Nelson, August UNL Professors Create Film Celebrating Black-led Emancipation, Daily Nebraskan Feb 23, 2022 
• 2022 Kiechel Fine Art Center showcases NFTs by local artists, Nebraska News Service, April 2, 2022 
• 2021 Nebraska Quarterly Magazine, Professor earns kudos for history of freedom suits, p34, Fall 2021 
• 2021 Willa Cather’s ‘A Gold Slipper’ adapted for exhibition, Nebraska Today Dec 3, 2021 
• 2021 L Kent Wolgamott, NFTs, The Hottest New Product in the Art Market, come to Lincoln, Lincoln Journal Star Sep 6,2021 
• 2021 Kiechel features Burton’s Nebraska-inspired artworks, Nebraska Today, August 30, 2021 
• 2021 Magic Alchemy; Artists Talk about Inventing the NFT and Digital Art at Kiechel Fine Art, Customs BMX.com, August 2021 
• 2021 Friday Live radio program, Nebraska Public Media: Discussing The Bell Affair 
• 2021 Deann Gayman, Thomas Earns Lynton Prize for a ‘Question of Freedom’, Nebraska Today, March 26, 2021 
• 2020 L Kent Wolgamott, A Gold Slipper Illustrates and Illuminates Cather Short Story, Lincoln Journal Star Jan 23,2020 
• 2020 Rick Brown, MONA to host ‘Collection Connection’ program Jan. 22, Grand Island Independent, Jan 8, 2020 
• 2020 Rick Brown, UNL professor Michael Burton tells Anna's story of escaping slavery in 12-minute animated film Kearney Hub, Jan 16, 2020 

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

Memberships

• FATE; Foundation Art theory and Education