Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art
SECCA opened in 1956 as a non-profit visual arts organization in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in response to a community and regional need for exhibition space devoted to work by area artists. By 1972, when industrialist James G. Hanes willed his 32-acre estate to the gallery, its scope included all 11 southeastern states. Renovation of Hanes' English Hunt-Style mansion, as well as the construction of an 8,896 square foot gallery addition and receiving area, was completed in 1976.
SECCA entered its second phase of growth in 1990 with the addition of the new 24,500 square foot addition. With the completion of this space, SECCA's vision was changed to a national focus on exhibiting the work of the country's major contemporary artists while preserving a commitment to southeastern artists. The 300-seat McChesney Scott Dunn Auditorium enables the center to expand the scope and quality of its programs, which offer the community access to contemporary music, drama, dance and film as well as lectures, conferences, and symposia on contemporary art issues. SECCA is dedicated to creative excellence in the visual arts and interpreting the diversity of American contemporary art.
In 1994, SECCA initiated a new project entitled Artist and the Community. Structured as a series of three-week to three-month-long residencies resulting in the creation of new work, participating artists focus on issues critical to this community. Working with other community-based institutions from schools to social service agencies, the program forges a link between artist and community members. Artists who have participated in the project thus far are: Donald Lipski, Tim Rollins, Fred Wilson, Hope Sandrow, Eleanor Antin, Willie Birch, Maya Lin, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, Mr. Imagination and Lesley Dill.
On December 13, 2007, the State of North Carolina announced the appointment of Mark Richard Leach to the position of director. Leach earned a bachelor's degree in Ceramics in 1981 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; received a master's degree in Twentieth Century Art and Non-profit Administration from Harvard University in 1987; and earned a certificate from the Getty Leadership Institute for Museum Management in 1997. He has been part of the cultural scene in North Carolina for 17 years, first as curator of contemporary art at the Mint Museum of Art and notably as founding director and later chief curator of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte. Leach assumed his new post at SECCA on January 15, 2008.
The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art seeks to enhance perspectives, inspire community and ignite new ideas at the intersection of art and you.
The art of our time plays a crucial role in contemporary life, providing the means to share ideas, experiences, and diverse cultures with all. SECCA is an active forum for this fundamental exchange, celebrating artists and creative explorations that best reflect the challenges and opportunities of our time. Uniting local, national, and international audiences, we believe art is at its most vibrant when activated by community. SECCA models inclusivity, perseverance and quality in all we do. Alongside leaders in the fields of art, business, education, civil and social service, SECCA will be a vital partner in this re-visioning of society as a more creative, open-minded and dynamic place.
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