Section 665-RICR-10-00-1.1 - Description and Object of AgencyA. The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), an entity of state government, is a state commission within the executive branch of state government established in 1967 to serve as the official agency in Rhode Island to expand the state cultural resources by receiving and disbursing funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as arts funding from other federal sources and from the state. The Council is charged in R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 42-75-7 and 8 with stimulating the growth of the state's arts and the public's participation in them; with assessing and making recommendations regarding the needs of the state's arts community; with providing educational opportunities in the arts; with taking such steps as may be necessary and appropriate to expand the state's cultural resources; and with protecting artistic freedom.B. The commission is authorized to further its objectives by 1. entering into contracts with individuals; and local and regional organizations; 3. accepting gifts, contributions, and bequests of unrestricted funds;4. creating panels of advisors; and 5. making and signing any agreements and doing and performing any acts that may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the commission.665 R.I. Code R. 665-RICR-10-00-1.1