In early 2025, a plan to install a series of murals in downtown Newport was moving full-steam ahead. The images would depict what made life in the Sugar River region special—skiing at Mount Sunapee, skating on the town common, picking blueberries at a local farm.

The National Endowment for the Arts sent word in January 2025 that it would kick in a $10,000 grant, accounting for about a …