Fore
SECCA Slam for Art combines golf and modern art
by Jessie Ammons
photograph courtesy SEECA Slam for Art
“We wanted to totally up the ante” on the fundraising front, says Siobhan Olson, a member of the board of directors at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem. On Oct. 3, the museum will combine contemporary art with golf for a fundraiser “worth driving for,”
Olson says.
SECCA, an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Art, is worth a drive for its own sake. Housed in a classic Tudor house donated by the Hanes family, the museum features a modern addition, a unique hybrid gallery space, and groundbreaking art.“Much of our community doesn’t realize the caliber of artists that have showcased at SECCA before they became famous,” Olson says, citing Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and Christo. The museum’s inaugural Slam for Art golf tournament will pay homage to those blue chip names with a golf tournament that includes 18 holes transformed into 18 living versions of iconic art.
Because part of the contest requires golfers to guess the artist that inspired each hole, Olson is tight-lipped about what exactly to expect. “I can tell you that instead of the ‘longest drive hole,’ you’ll drive over Andy Warhol-inspired giant-scale soup cans. On the Christo hole, all of the bunkers are wrapped in fluorescent yellow fabric.” There will also be local flair, including Art-o-Mats, or old cigarette vending machines filled with small original artworks instead of cigarettes. It’s a nod to the tobacco industry that built Winston-Salem, embedded in a bunker. “Every single golfer will walk away with an original piece of art.”
The fun will continue post-tournament, when non-golfers are welcome to join for the after-party, featuring barbecue, blues music from Roy Roberts, and an auction for unusual art, including residential room murals. The event is entirely volunteer-run, which means all proceeds will go straight to SECCA. “Learn about art, have a little fun … It’s a whole experience.”
And if you miss the chance to trek for the tournament this year, Olson says planning has already commenced for the next Slam for Art. “We had to shelve some of the ideas this year, so we’re gearing up for this to be an annual event. People are already signing up for next year.”
