Kansas City Symphony Loses Lawsuit Against the State

How many of you knew that the Kansas City Symphony was suing for funding and did not let the rest of us know about this interesting story? The original story about the lawsuit I found in Playbill from the January 2007!

 

The basis of the lawsuit is that the state is in violation of a statute requiring 60% (originally 50%, but increased) of taxes from out of state athletes and entertainers that worked in Missouri to fund the state arts council. The State supposedly did not invest those monies into the Arts Council and, thus, the whole of the arts scene in Missouri has been adversely affected.

 

Well, turns out that yesterday, a judge threw out the lawsuit, an action that has the Symphony's lawyer saying that this ruling basically means that the Legislature can do whatever it wants with no check.

 

Are times so dire that arts organizations need to start suing states for funding? Or is this a bold move by the Symphony to use their important stature to stand up for all the arts organizations in Missouri who are being short-changed by the state government's breach of promises to fund the arts? Should they appeal the ruling? What will be the outcome and atmosphere in the arts community if they lose? And an even more uncomfortable question: what will be the outcome and atmosphere in the arts community if they win?

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Leslie Fay