Michael Adams

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Michael Adams

Adjunct Professor, Museum Studies

MS, Temple University
BS, Temple University

Contact Info

Museum Studies

Anderson Hall, 2nd Floor

“It's kind of fun to do the impossible.” – Walt Disney

Mike Adams has taught in the Museum Studies program since fall 2018. His teaching emphasizes critical analysis of museum theory influenced by his decade of experience at museums and cultural institutions throughout the Philadelphia region.

 

Explore Museum Education (MA) at UArts

Biography

Mike Adams entered the museum field  after three years of classroom teaching at the secondary level. His interests and work in the museum field emphasize building connections between the K–12 education community and museums, as well as strategic partnerships among museums, to foster lifelong learning that extends beyond the traditional schooling experience. Adams holds degrees in Education from Temple University in Philadelphia. 

Experience 

  • Adams has served as president of the Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia, president of Philadelphia’s Historic Neighborhood Consortium, director of education at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and education coordinator at Historic Philadelphia Inc., among other roles. 
  • Programs and initiatives he has developed continue to serve tens of thousands of museum visitors annually, both in person and remotely. 
  • Classroom teaching resources Adams has created at cultural institutions reach great numbers of students online. 
  • He has presented at more than 40 national, regional and state conferences in both the museum and education fields.

Awards & Accolades

  • Adams has been honored with the Small Museum Association Award (2020) and the Independence Historical Trust Volunteer of the Year Award (2017). 
  • He is a contributing author for the IMLS-funded _Teacher Professional Development Handbook_ (forthcoming from Rowman & Littlefield). 
  • In 2017, he was named one of Billy Penn’s 30 Under 30.

Contact
miadams@uarts.edu