Michael Butler is an artist, historian, and documentarian based in Sag Harbor, New York. Born on Staten Island and raised in Queens, his family has been connected to Sag Harbor for seven generations, spanning over a century. His great-great-great-grandfather lived in Oyster Bay in 1785. His father, Charles Butler, summered in Sag Harbor beginning in the 1920’s and relocated there full-time in 1982, while his mother, Margaret Burwell, began summering there with her family in the 1930s.
He has served on the board of the Eastville Community Historical Society for more than 20 years, holding positions as president, vice president, and recording secretary. Butler is currently chairperson of the St. David AME Zion Church Cemetery and serves as board secretary for the Long Island Museum of American Art History and Carriages in Stony Brook, and is a lifetime member of the NAACP. Additionally, Butler is a former board member of the East End AIDS Wellness Project, a former member of East Hampton’s Anti-Bias Task Force, and a former member of the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreation Center.