2025 Events In The Courtyard
The Courtyard is a beautiful outdoor art space, located in downtown Manteo. Join us for one of our upcoming events, listed below.
Fall 2025 Installation: Souvenir by artist Todd Hale will be on display in The Courtyard Fall of 2025. The mixed media installation will open at 6:00pm on Friday, September 5 and remain on display through mid-November. More information on this installation below.
First Friday, October 3: The Jazzmen in The Courtyard from 6pm to 8pm.
Friday, December 5: Manteo Christmas Tree Lighting followed by The Tillett Sisters in The Courtyard.
All of The Courtyard events are free, family-friendly and open to the public.
Fall 2025 Courtyard Installation
Souvenir by artist Todd Hale will be on display in The Courtyard Fall of 2025.
About the Art: Souvenir is an exhibit of mixed media sculptural work evolving out of the drawings, paintings and photography by Todd Hale. In his work, Hale employs a vast array of methods and media including drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, and photography. Recurring motifs and themes include forms and patterns which reference natural and mystical phenomenon. Souvenir is defined as a token of remembrance, an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. An object that can be collected and taken home by a traveler as a memento of a visit.
Artist Bio: Todd Hale is a mixed media artist and photographer based in Nags Head, NC and Richmond, VA. Since 1996 he has lived part of the year on the Outer Banks working as a portrait photographer while finding inspiration in the ocean and developing his art. In the off-season he is part of the vibrant art community in Richmond where he runs a working studio and gallery called Antennae. The gallery is host to solo and group shows. In 2003, Hale was among the founding group of artists and galleries that established a presence in downtown Richmond, leading to its eventual designation as a nationally recognized arts district.
For more information about Todd, visit his website here.
The Mural
Public art, specifically murals, enhance the visual appeal of public places while creating an inviting atmosphere. Murals foster community pride and this one in particular celebrates the arts, history, and culture of Manteo. By expanding our offerings to include a mural, we are honoring Dare Arts’ mission of providing opportunity and enrichment through art
This mural, created in 2025 by local artist Willow Rea Temple, is based on archival photographs from the Outer Banks History Center. Located on the back wall of Dare Arts’ Courtyard, in the area affectionately referred to as “the alley-way”, the mural is open for public viewing.
The mural features the Manteo–Hatteras Bus Line, which carried passengers before modern roads connected the two towns, blending into a view of Budleigh Street—just to your left—as it looked in the 1930s. Also interwoven are images of two women on a dock near the turn of the century, and a young boy on a horse in front of the historic Dare County Courthouse, now the home of Dare Arts.
About The Courtyard
The Courtyard Project’s Groundbreaking Ceremony was hosted on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
The project transformed the yard behind the 1904 Courthouse building into a multi-functional courtyard that enabled Dare Arts to expand its programming, serve additional segments of the community and showcase a broader range of creative endeavors including outdoor artwork, workshops and artist demonstrations.
To learn how to participate in the Courtyard, please email Jessica Sands at DareArtsInfo@gmail.com.
The Courtyard was designed by Ben Cahoon of Cahoon + Kasten Architects.
Courtyard Project Supporters
A special thank you to the Percy W. & Elizabeth G. Meekins Charitable Trust, Dare County Tourism Board, Outer Banks Community Foundation, The Cannon Foundation, The Camp-Younts Foundation, Dominion Energy, Southern Bank Foundation, Lowe’s, Walmart Giving, Ace Hardware, The McLaughlin Family Charitable Fund and generous community donors for supporting this project.
This project is funded in part by the Dare County Tourism Board.