Originally founded as the Winston-Salem Gallery of Fine Arts, NCMA Winston-Salem (formerly SECCA) opened in 1956 as a nonprofit visual arts organization in response to a community need for exhibition space devoted to work by local artists. By 1972, when textile industrialist James G. Hanes willed his 32-acre estate to the Gallery, its offerings had expanded to include showing work by artists from 11 southeastern states.

NCMA Winston-Salem (formerly SECCA)  has since grown in scope and scale. With a legacy of seminal exhibitions and a distinctive architectural footprint on the center’s verdant grounds, it connects southeastern contemporary art with the art world at large. Now sharing a curatorial team and vision with the NCMA, NCMA Winston-Salem (formerly SECCA)  continues to produce original exhibitions and programs with international and American contemporary artists. It serves as a dynamic center for exchange and partnership in the North Carolina community and beyond, presenting artist talks, workshops, musical performances, film screenings, and more.