New Charlotte Museum of History President is an Art Alumna

Adria Focht, the new President & CEO of The Charlotte Museum of History, is an alumna of the Department of Art & Art History. Focht graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2005 with a double major in art (with a fibers concentration) and anthropology (with a focus on archeology).

As an undergraduate intern at the Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia, Focht began to marry her interests in fiber arts and archaeology by researching textile impressions on prehistoric ceramics. As a graduate student, she continued this work by examining collections at the Research Laboratories of Archaeology at UNC Chapel Hill and researched and assisted with the conservation of textiles from the Queen Anne’s Revenge shipwreck. She received her Master of Arts in Anthropology (Archeology) from East Carolina University in 2009.

Focht came to The Charlotte Museum of History in November from the Kings Mountain Historical Museum in Kings Mountain, NC, where she was director and curator. She continues to make art, working primarily in watercolor and textiles, and her portfolio can be seen on her website.