In 2013, Michael Villarreal received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX and a Master of Fine Arts in 2017 at the University of Nebraska. He has exhibited in solo exhibitions at Art Palace Contemporary Art Gallery, Houston, TX, and Project Project, Omaha, NE. He has been in numerous group exhibitions which include Real Shapes at DATELINE in Denver, CO; Going My Way at Barbara Davis Gallery, Houston, TX; Nebraska Rising at Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE, and Excessivist Initiative at LA Artcore: Brewery Annex Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. His work has been featured in several publications such as Huffington Post, New American Paintings, and Art Maze Magazine. Recently, his work was on view in the group exhibition at The International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, NE. In 2019, he was a recipient of the Nebraska Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship. Upcoming exhibitions include a group exhibition at the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, NE.