BIO
Photo: Alicia J. Rose
CASEY BURNS is an award-winning illustrator, fine artist, printmaker, graphic designer, art director, product manager, branding strategist, graphic production artist, musician and Eagle Scout based in Portland, Oregon. His mark can be seen all over the industries of music, advertising, apparel, film, television, food and drink, comedy, greeting cards, toy design, comic books, magazines, newspapers and publications of all kinds.
A Morehead Scholar with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Burns worked ten years as the in-house artist for Frank Heath's legendary Cat's Cradle music venue in Carrboro. His striking poster designs from this period are featured in The Art of Modern Rock; Gig Posters: Rock Art of the 21st Century; Rock Paper Show; 1000 Indie Posters; Simple Screenprinting and other books.
While still living in Chapel Hill, Burns was mentored by artist George Pratt and assisted on Pratt's Eisner-Award-winning series Wolverine: Netsuke, published by Marvel Comics in 2002.
Burns moved from North Carolina to Portland, Oregon, in 2006. Clients include Nike Snowboarding, Microsoft, The New York Times, Deschutes Brewery, Viso, Musicfest NW, Sasquatch Music Festival, Mutt Industries (concept art that helped this new agency win Coke's Mello Yello account), North, Toyota, Vans Warped Tour, Dr. Martens, Spoon, Sonic Youth, and Modest Mouse (artwork for We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, an album that debuted at number one on the Billboard charts).
His work for Sonic Youth has shown at LiFE in St. Nazaire, France; Museion in Bolzano, Italy; Kunsthalle/KIT in Düsseldorf, Germany; the Konsthall in Malmö, Sweden; and CA2M (Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo) in Madrid, Spain, with the exhibition Sonic Youth etc: Sensational Fix.
He regularly shows work in galleries in Portland, Chicago and North Carolina, and participates in numerous group shows across the US and Europe.
Burns also has many years of experience playing bass on the road, recording, tour managing and merchandise managing with bands such as The Nein, The Rosebuds, The Dandy Warhols, The White Octave, Gold Chainz, Cole, and various other musical projects.
He is currently art director for Bladen County Records and package designer for Odessa Records.
In October 2006, the Southern Folklife Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill added the Casey Burns Collection, containing posters designed and printed by celebrated poster artist and illustrator Casey Burns. This collection, paired with the Ron Liberti Collection, forms an important document of Chapel Hill/Carrboro’s vibrant independent music scene at the turn of the 21st century.
THE SOUTHERN FOLKLIFE COLLECTION is one of the nation’s foremost archival resources dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating traditional and vernacular music, art, and culture related to the American South. Their mission is to advance the study and public recognition of these art forms, and support the educational, research and service missions of the University.
More information on the Southern Folklife Collection can be found here:
http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/sfc1/index.html
Details of the Casey Burns Collection can be found here:
http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/b/Burns,Casey.html