Artist and poet Eric Petit has gifted a new sculpture, “Community Heart,” to the Goodrich Memorial Library in Newport. This piece symbolizes Newport’s central role in the Northeast Kingdom and reflects the support and balance between the community and its institutions.
Petit expressed his gratitude for the library’s influence on his growth as an artist, stating, “I love this library and I could never have become the poet and artist I have grown into without that powerful gift of support and balance that they have given me over the years.”
Crafted from local materials like driftwood, beaver sticks, eroded railroad ties, fence rails, and river stones, the sculpture represents the history and growth of the Northeast Kingdom’s agricultural and industrial communities.
Petit, a Northeast Kingdom native and veteran, currently works from his studio in Coventry. His art, created from natural materials found in the region, highlights the lessons nature teaches about balance and sustainability.
The “Community Heart” now stands as a tribute to the enduring bond between Newport’s residents and the institutions that support them.