The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), located at 750 Marguerite Drive in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is a gallery designed to involve audiences in the art of our time. Because of its excellent exhibits and educational opportunities, SECCA enjoys not only a regional reputation, but also a national and international presence.
The center's stated mission is to to enhance perspectives, inspire community and ignite new ideas at the intersection of art and you. By fostering creative excellence, innovation and dialogue through education and discussion, SECCA provides the community the opportunity to explore the dynamic relationship between individuals and contemporary art. Through traveling exhibits, visitors can see cutting-edge, multi-media artistic interpretations of critical society issues.
SECCA’s role as an institution is to provide services beyond the scope and resources of the region’s smaller galleries and museums, as well as being an innovator in community outreach. SECCA earned accreditation by the American Association of Museums (AAM) in 1979 and has maintained this status. SECCA is one of only 300 museums in the United States to earn this distinction. The AAM has called SECCA “an exemplary institution and national leader for promoting contemporary art.”
SECCA was founded in 1956 to provide gallery space for local artists, but has expanded since then to provide a venue for artists from around the world. In December 2007, SECCA became an operating entity of the North Carolina Museum of Art, an entity of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Mark Richard Leach was appointed executive director on Dec. 13, 2007. A new board of directors was formed and an expanded professional staff has been recruited.
As a result of these changes, SECCA is entering a new era of cultural productivity and community engagement through the institution’s core values of innovation, collaboration, inclusivity, excellence and diversity. On April 1, 2008, SECCA began offering free admission to make it’s acclaimed exhibitions and programs available to the widest audience possible.
A major renovation project to replace the museum’s roof and climate-control system was completed between January 2009 and July 2010. SECCA was closed during this time, and the gallery and grounds were transformed through a $1.8 million renovation project.
The center reopened July 15, 2010, attracting a crowd of more than 1,600 for a celebration and exhibition. Roof repairs and the new state-of-the-art climate-control system accounted for the largest portion of the renovation project, but the center also received new outdoor signage, restoration of exposed cement floors in its more than 9,000 square feet (840 m2) of gallery space, restoration of a boxwood garden behind the gallery and many other cosmetic improvements.
SECCA is located only minutes from Reynolda House Museum of American Art and Wake Forest University. The three entities are among the most valuable cultural assets in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina.
SECCA has a vital story to share through the art of our time. The new SECCA will be a reflection of the changing face of North Carolina’s interest in contemporary art, craft, design and culture.