SECCA's spring programs enliven the 1929-built historic gem.
The Hanes House is currently open only for select events and programs; please check the calendar for upcoming events. The Hanes House will open during regular SECCA hours starting Thursday, April 6.
Since 1977, the historic Hanes House has welcomed visitors into its wood-paneled rooms for warm conversations, dinner parties, and familial gatherings. Built in 1929 as the country home of textile industrialist and civic leader James G. Hanes, the Hanes House became the unlikely home of SECCA, or the "Winston-Salem Gallery of Fine Arts" as it was called at the time, when Hanes bequested the house and grounds to the gallery upon his passing in 1972.
Now, nearly a century after the home's construction, the Hanes House enters a new phase of life. SECCA has spent the past three years asking the community for feedback and input, and as a result reimagined what the house can be for today's audiences.
In the coming months, visitors will see the Hanes House transform before their eyes. Long term plans include a cafe and retail space, but for the time being, visitors will encounter a welcoming, unexpected, and occasionally whimsical place for connection and inspiration.
While the historic elements will remain the same– hand-carved crown molding, marbled fireplaces, vintage French wallpaper– visitors will encounter fresh new furnishings and lighting. Furniture selections span mid-century icons to works by emerging contemporary designers, an amalgam of the historic and the cutting edge.
The new energy at the Hanes House runs deeper than beautiful furniture, however. Like everything that SECCA does, the substance of our mission can be found in our programming: the ways we bring our spaces to life. The legacy of the Hanes House won't be found in its history or architecture, but in the ways we use it to reach new audiences, create memorable experiences, and tell new stories with diverse perspectives.
Launching this new chapter, SECCA is proud to present two new monthly series at the Hanes House. The first Thursday of every month, Fireside will present intimate artist talks representing a broad range of creative disciplines, set casually in front of the living room fireplace. Then, we invite the community to join us the final Friday of each month for House Hangs, a social gathering with dinner by a rotation of local chefs, music by the area's finest DJs, and cocktails on the Hanes House terrace.
If the SECCA galleries are for encounters and revelations, then the Hanes House is for reflection and imagination. We hope longtime supporters and newcomers alike will join us this year as we transform the Hanes House into a welcoming space, where new memories are woven together like a pair of seamless Hanes stockings.