SECCA House Party
There have been a lot of great parties at SECCA over the years, and the tradition continued on June 16 with the SECCA House Party. Ever since the private residence of James G. Hanes was transformed into one of North Carolina's premier art museums, supporters of SECCA have come up with unique ways to fund the organization's educational programs, and the focus of the House Party was on one-of-a-kind vacations to regional, national and international locales.
"All of the auction packages were donated by the community," said Mary Beth Johnson, SECCA's director of development. "We have a week in Ghana, a stay in the Cayman Islands and a trip to Jamaica."
Additional auction packages included stays in gorgeous homes in Key Largo, Fla.,; Palm Beach, Fla; New York City and Chicago. Crowd favorites included a sojourn to the 400-year-old Hacienda Cusin in Otavalo, Ecuador, with possible day trips to the Galapagos Islands and an Amazon rain forest; time in a Sante Fe casita; and a vacation in a rustic, beachfront studio set in a 3-acre palm grove in the village of Akwidaa in Ghana.
"Our son just moved to New York to work for Deutsche Bank," said Theresa Chadwick, who attended with her husband, Ed Chadwick. "We're thinking the New York trip would give us a great place to stay when we visit him."
"We are really interested in the Ecuador trip, but we wanted to come to support SECCA," said Kristie Staton, attending with Mark Payne. "We thought this would be a good way to support the arts and meet some new people."
J.D. Wilson and his wife, Janie Wilson, took time to visit the American Gothic exhibit currently on display at SECCA. After enjoying the art, the couple perused the auction packages.
"There are so many trips that intrigue me," J.D. Wilson said. "I've never been to Africa before, and the Ghana trip sounds like a lot of fun.
"We love the new energy that is coming out of SECCA's rebirth," Wilson continued. "Winston-Salem really embraces the creative class, and this is the place that brings it all together."
When not planning an exotic getaway, House Party guests enjoyed a sampling of delectable hors d'oeuvres.
The menu for the evening included roasted brown sugar salmon garnished with cucumber-dill sauce and grilled pineapple mandarin orange salsa, served on a baguette with horseradish sauce, pulled chicken barbecue served on warm corn soufflés, skewered fresh mozzarella with marinated grape tomato and fresh basil, grilled vegetables and hot chicken salad in pastry shells.
The salmon and the dessert offering of peach ice cream paid homage to Hanes, who included both foods in his favorite dishes category.
Around the corner from the food tables and wine bar, performance artists Ted Efremoff and Rebecca Parker asked guests about their favorite childhood memories. Using vintage furniture, the pair designed living spaces from the guests' descriptions.
"We're re-creating people's memories and asking them to remember a specific room," Efremoff said. "It's a project about cultural memories."
The performance art perfectly complemented the ambiance of the event. Steven Matijcio, curator for SECCA, explained how the gallery's shows expand the local art scene.
"We want things to be unexpected here," Matijcio said. "We want people to become inspired and to pique their curiosity about art so that they want to know more. Contemporary art often gets a bad rap because people think that they won't understand it. But that's really one of the best things about contemporary art — the openness."
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement