2023 Events In The Courtyard
The Courtyard is a beautiful outdoor art space, located in downtown Manteo. Join us for one of our upcoming events.
Read below about the current installation in the Courtyard by artist Matthew Grimes.
All of The Courtyard events are free, family-friendly and open to the public.
Be sure to check out what is happening in The Courtyard on First Friday too!


Fall 2023 Courtyard Installation
Looking Up To Look In is a Courtyard installation by artist Matthew Grimes. The installation will be up through the fall of 2023.
About the Art: A homage to the simpler things. While inspired by the Korean 'sotdae' (bird totems) and the implied connections they invoke, sometimes a bird on a stick can possibly be just that. Simple.
Artist Statement: So often in life more is to be discovered beyond what is transpiring immediately in front of us. The act of paying attention to this serves the genesis of my investigation with mixed media. My intention is to bring to light the electric beauty of which falls silent to most passersby, ciphering the positive qualities out of the banal of everyday to act as a catalyst towards increasing observation of this world we live in.
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.