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 local artists. By 1972, when industrialist James G. Hanes willed his 32-acre estate to the gallery, its scope included all 11 southeastern states.
SECCA has since grown in scope and scale, with a legacy of seminal exhibitions and a distinctive architectural footprint on our verdant grounds, connecting the Southeast with the world at large. Currently, SECCA continues to produce original exhibitions, publications and programs with international and American contemporary artists. SECCA serves as a dynamic center for exchange and partnership in this community and beyond, presenting talks, film, performance and transformative educational experiences.
SECCA is an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Art and a division of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.