WS Chronicle

The executive director of the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), Gordon Peterson, has announced his plans to retire in September 2018.

Peterson has been the executive director of SECCA for three years. Under his leadership, the Museum has continued to enhance perspectives, inspire the community, and ignite new ideas through thought-provoking art exhibitions and community performances.

Peterson was named executive director of SECCA in April 2015. After a 30-year career in advertising in New York City, Peterson moved to North Carolina in 1998. He soon found himself connecting with the local art communities as a patron and later as a volunteer, serving on the boards of several local arts initiatives, including the Winston-Salem Symphony, Piedmont Opera, and Triad Stage. 

When he was named the executive director in 2015, Peterson said, “SECCA is a gem. It’s a contemporary art museum, but it’s also so much more. We have music here, we have lectures, we have a great education center. We’re always trying new things to engage the community.”

During his tenure, Peterson continued to expand the scope of SECCA’s programming and impact, giving the community and region a wider view of contemporary arts, including music, drama, dance, and more through artist talks, films, family-oriented activities, student-centered activities, and community-building opportunities.

Peterson has strengthened SECCA’s reputation as a promoter of the world’s contemporary artists alongside its commitment to the artists of the region. Director of the North Carolina Museum of Art Dr. Larry Wheeler said, “It has been the great fortune of Winston-Salem and North Carolina to have Gordon Peterson as the imaginative leader of SECCA for the past three years. He has engineered new paths for community engagement and programming of high national profile. To his credit, the leading artistic voices of our time are being heard at SECCA.”

“Gordon has been a tremendous asset to SECCA,” said Christopher Oldham, SECCA board chair. “His connections to the community and his energy and creativity have helped SECCA achieve stronger community engagement and growth.”

Peterson grew up in Westfield, New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Details about events honoring his retirement are forthcoming.