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SECCA’s Season of Song
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s the seasons’ turn, Winston-Salem’s Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) will turn out a season of song with expanded musical offerings, including two new music series and a 65th birthday bash with the band Bowerbirds. Continuing to celebrate “the Art of Now,” SECCA will launch Night Katei Cranford Moods, a “nocturnal concert series exploring the electronic and hypnotic at the historic Hanes House,” Contributor with Flower in Bloom and Body Games on Sept. 25. “I’m really interested in contrasting the stately environment with something really cutting edge and technologyforward,” said Philip Pledger, Marketing Director for SECCA. “The Hanes House has a really cool European villa vibe,” he added of the venue, a Georgian Revival built in 1929—the grounds of which ultimately became SECCA’s home. Weather permitting, Night Moods shows will take place outdoors on the terrace. “Electronic music is a vast genre with all kinds of unique sub-genres and artist communities,” Pledger explained. “We’re hoping to explore all corners of electronic music with the series, and even present some artists that bend definitions.” Flower in Bloom, an alternative rapper from the Winston-Salem Steady Hype Collective, prides herself on bending those definitions. “My music has versatility that transcends into all different genres of music for people who listen to different kinds of music,” she said. “It’s also really nice to have such a beautiful place as my last show for a while.” At 38 weeks pregnant, Night Moods will be Flower in Bloom’s final performance before blossoming into motherhood. “It feels like I’m playing Russian roulette with my baby’s arrival,” she said. “But I’m really excited. SECCA’s scenery is absolutely magical. It’s going to be special.” On the flipside, Night Moods will be Body Game’s first show in more than a year. “We’re thrilled,” said the trio of Carrboro-based audiovisual wizards. Known for making “club bangers for introverts,” the group incorporates visual elements and projection art from member Adam Graetz, aka thefacesblur. “Graetz’s digital art experience in our Main Gallery this past April was a big hit,” Pledger said. He’s banking on folks enjoying the blurred lines between audio and visual art. “Music can be a really welcoming art form,” he said. “We’re taking an expansive view of what ‘the art of our time” means, and hoping that music can introduce SECCA to members of our community who may not typically visit. Ideally, they’ll discover something in our galleries that really speaks to them.” No stranger to hosting shows, Pledger officially joined the SECCA fold in a marketing role in early 2020, with the added task of increasing a musical presence. “When we announced the end of Phuzz Phest in 2016, we promised to continue exploring ways to keep Winston-Salem weird and wonderful,” he said, reflecting on the Pine State Holiday festival he hosted on SECCA’s grounds in 2017. WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM
Body Games
Sengoko
Flower In Bloom
Victoria Victoria And his Crossroads performance, with Estrangers opening for the Love Language, in 2013. “When you stop and look at all of the artists who have played Crossroads over the past 10 years, it’s staggering,” Pledger noted of the series, founded and curated by Andy Tennille (of the Ramkat) that made its recent return (and 23rd show) with Bill Frisell; and has hosted the likes of Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Leon Russell, and The South Memphis String Band over its ten-year run. “Crossroads has been a boon for SECCA and has laid a strong foundation for what’s possible when it comes to musical programming at the museum.” Pledger is both looking back and looking forward as SECCA prepares its 65th birthday bash with Bowerbirds on Oct. 2. “We’re really excited to celebrate this milestone,” he said, reflecting on the museum’s “ups and downs” over the decades. “There’s a lot of really good energy at SECCA right now. So we’re ready to celebrate, and help prepare for an even better 65 years ahead.” With that, SECCA looks to engage new audiences—and blur the lines between “high and low” art, while highlighting the contemporary culture of the Southeast. “A lot of this comes down to access, and removing barriers for people to enjoy art, both traditionally defined and more broadly,” Pledger explained. “It’s why our galleries are always free to visit, and it’s why we’re working to expand what ‘the art of our time’ really means.” One result involves expanding the Southern Idiom exhibition into a recurrent concert series showcasing WinstonSalem artists. “The expansion into adopting concerts grew out of conversations between myself and Wendy Earle, SECCA’s Curator of Contemporary Art,” Pledger explained. “We’re really starting to think of Southern Idiom as SECCA’s vehicle for our support of the WinstonSalem art community as a whole.”
While visual exhibitions of Southern Idiom have showcased nearly two-dozen artists since its 2017 inception, the inaugural concert will feature Victoria Victoria on Oct. 23. “Coincidentally, they played SECCA almost a year ago to the date,” Pledger noted of the group, who performed during the 2020 Gala Week. “It was amazing, but being a fundraiser, tickets were higher,” he added. “This year, admission is $10, so I’m excited for more of their fans to see them at our scenic lake stage. It’s a magical spot to see live music.” The concert and exhibition aren’t thematically related but are instead linked through an overall mission. “Southern Idiom has always featured a wide variety of visual artists, spanning all art forms, from veterans with accomplished careers to young artists just starting to forge their creative path,” Pledger said. “I hope to take the same approach to our musical programming, not really being bound by musical genre or wherever musicians are in their career.” SECCA continues meshing boundaries with Screen Oddities, a monthly cult film series co-curated by Alex Brown (SECCA’s Director of Programs) and Lawren Desai (from a/perture cinema). Aimed to “delight, frighten, and fascinate” audiences, “it’s an unpredictable series and I think that’s part of what makes it so fun,” Pledger said. Music and action will entwine for El Mariachi on Sept 30. While things get a little gory with Jame Gunn’s creature feature, Slither, on October 28. Music and movies mix further for Night Moods Vol. 2 with Sengoko and Mauve Angeles on Nov. 13. The latest incarnation from electro-pop artist Derek Torres (T0W3RS,) Sengoko offers a soundtrack for a fictional post-apocalyptic film of 1980s proportions. With Eric Gilstrap’s Mauve Angeles opening an ambient ambiance to match Sengoko’s “John Carpenter meets John Hughes” vibe. Autumn winds will blow big techno beats around a big ol’ house as SECCA’S Night Moods series kicks off with Flower in Bloom and Body Games on Sept. 25. ! KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events. SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2021 YES! WEEKLY
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