The Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, its volunteer advisory board, recognize that the cultural vitality of any community begins with the contributions of the individual artist. As such, a key objective of the Department and the Council is to contribute to creating an environment that is supportive of and inspiring to artists. To accomplish this, the Department provides assistance to artists in three critical ways:  through financial support; via technical assistance; and by developing resources and opportunities to present the artist's work to the public.