Title 23.1. Institutions of Higher Education; Other Educational and Cultural Institutions
Chapter 32. Museums and Other Cultural Institutions
§ 23.1-3223. Duties of the Commission.
A. The Commission shall:
1. Stimulate, fund, and encourage throughout the Commonwealth growth in artistic quality and excellence, public interest and participation in the arts, and access to high-quality and affordable literary, visual, and performing arts for all Virginians;
2. Make recommendations to improve the economic, intellectual, and participatory environments for the arts in the Commonwealth;
3. Support supplemental arts education programs, including performances and workshops, in the public elementary and secondary schools of the Commonwealth;
Develop a network of arts professionals, including presenters, arts organizations, and the media, that reflects a variety of artistic disciplines and backgrounds;
5. Provide funding for and assistance to artists, recognized nonprofit organizations, localities, and arts organizations and activities that celebrate and preserve the various cultures in the Commonwealth;
6. Encourage and support arts organizations in the creation of new works of art and the expansion of access to these works throughout the Commonwealth;
7. Establish a program to provide grants and other awards to artists who demonstrate exceptional ability and talent;
8. Establish an advisory panel composed of artists, arts administrators, and citizens to advise the Commission as needed;
9. Encourage arts organizations to
develop and implement plans for long-term fiscal sustainability, including financial management and control capabilities, endowment enlargement plans, and fundraising from nongovernmental sources;
10. Apply to and enter into contracts and agreements with the United States or any appropriate agency or officer of the United States for participation in or receipt of funding from any federal program respecting the arts;
11. Provide incentives to local governing bodies to encourage public support and funding of the arts;
12. Accept, hold, and administer gifts, contributions, and bequests of money or any other thing to be used for carrying out the purposes of this article;
13. Develop specific procedures for the administration and implementation of a grantmaking program, so long as any such program is for the benefit of a nonprofit organization qualifying as a § 501(c)(3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code and prepare written guidelines to govern such program;
14. Administer any funds available to the Commission and disburse such funds in accordance with the purposes of this article;
15. Make expenditures from the Fund's interest and income to promote the arts in the Commonwealth in accordance with § 23.1-3228 ;
16. Enter into contracts and execute all instruments necessary and appropriate to carry out the Commission's purposes;
17. Explore and make recommendations concerning other possible dedicated revenue sources for the Fund; and
18. Perform any lawful acts necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Commission.
B. Nothing in this article shall be construed to affect the statutory purposes of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
