A Gallery Made for Downtown

NCMA Downtown is much more compact than the museum's main campus—and visitors should expect a different kind of experience.

The street-level space includes two gallery areas, a retail shop, a co-working area, and living-room-style seating. Natural light pours in through the corner windows, giving the gallery an open, relaxed feel that makes it easy to browse at your own pace or settle in for a while.

You won't find the sprawling galleries, performance spaces, and historic Hanes House that make the Marguerite Drive campus such a destination. Instead, NCMA Downtown works as an intimate satellite gallery: a place to spend 30 minutes or an hour with contemporary art, then continue exploring the restaurants, shops, and attractions around Fourth Street.

Many of the works on view are also available for purchase, which is unusual for a museum. It's a deliberate choice that directly supports North Carolina artists while connecting NCMA to downtown's economy as well as its cultural scene.

Exhibits in the new space reflect the museum's long-held mission — to showcase the art of now —  by spotlighting a mix of regional and international artists and bold, thought-provoking contemporary works. The gallery's debut exhibit, Unboxed: Art Beyond the Museum, features work by 13 North Carolina artists connected to NCMA's Portable Gallery, an outreach program that brings original contemporary artwork directly into classrooms throughout the region. Its on display through August 30.

More than Exhibitions

The art on the walls is only part of the experience. NCMA continues to offer a mix of programs both inside the downtown gallery and around the city while its main campus is under renovation.

At the gallery, visitors can drop in for Open Studio workshops or take part in the long-running Vinyl Lounge listening series. A few blocks away, NCMA's popular 2nd Saturday series offers free family artmaking each month at Winston Square Park, while Park Hangs, brings live music, food trucks, and local vendors to Bailey Park from April through October. 

Then there's NCMA's newest series, Field Trips, which are monthly excursions to various creative spaces and museums around Forsyth County. Those recurring programs are joined by artist talks, book clubs, teen programs, and other community events throughout the year. 

To see upcoming events, programs, and exhibitions, check the museum's online calendar.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

The downtown space may be new, but the museum itself has been part of Winston-Salem's cultural landscape for generations.

Longtime residents may still know it as SECCA, short for Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art. Founded in 1956, the organization became an operating entity of the North Carolina Museum of Art under the state's Department of Cultural Resources in 2007. It continued operating under the SECCA name for years before officially becoming NCMA Winston-Salem in 2023.

Its longtime home is equally distinctive. Set on the former estate of textile industrialist and civic leader James G. Hanes, the Marguerite Drive campus pairs a stately 1929 mansion—Hanes House—with contemporary galleries and performance spaces added around it.

That campus closed to the public in early 2026 for a major renovation supported by a $15 million state appropriation. The project will touch nearly every part of the buildings and grounds, with improvements aimed at making the museum more accessible, sustainable, and flexible. Rather than pause exhibitions and public programs during construction, NCMA headed downtown.

The result gives visitors a new way to experience Winston-Salem's arts scene—and contemporary art a welcome new home in the heart of the city.