Five months ago, Chelsea Norris was looking for something to do on an uneventful night — and ended up at the first public meeting for designating a section of Perkins Road as a cultural art district.”I didn’t agree with what some of the people had to say,” said Norris, studio art and mass communication junior, and creator of the Perkins Road Art District Facebook group. “After that meeting, I went full force, helping to push for the art district designation.”On Oct. 7, the city designated a portion of Perkins Road, stretching from the Southdowns Shopping Centre to the Baton Rouge Gallery in City Park, as a cultural art district.Gaye Hamilton, Louisiana Cultural Districts program manager, said the designation creates a state and local tax exemption on all original works of art sold in the district. In addition, area buildings more than 50 years old may be eligible for a state historic tax credit for renovations, she said.”Businesses can earn up to 25 percent of the renovation costs for old or damaged buildings,” she said. “It also helps entrepreneurs, who might buy an old church and turn it into an art gallery.”Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism created the cultural districts program in 2007, allowing local governments to designate specific areas as cultural districts, Hamilton said.  Perkins Road is the second cultural district in Baton Rouge — the first is the area surrounding the Shaw Center for the Arts downtown.Seth Harvey, Office of the Lieutenant Governor communications director, said the program is designed to spur growth and development through tax credits in areas with a strong potential for cultural activities.City officials approved Perkins Road’s application because the area is undergoing public and private redevelopment — part of an overall plan for economic redevelopment in Baton Rouge, Harvey said. The city sees potential in Perkins Road’s art galleries and music venues, he said. Ann Connelly, owner of Ann Connelly Fine Art, located on Perkins Road, said local business owners and members of the community endorsed the idea after learning about the program and pushed through months of planning and meetings to receive the cultural district status.”It’s a very natural district, with many businesses that can benefit and complement one another,” she said.Norris said creating a Facebook group proved highly useful, gathering 600 members in the first week.”Facebook was a great way to get word out about meetings and events — something Baton Rouge does a poor job of doing,” she said. “Today’s population isn’t apathetic — they just don’t hear about what’s going on.”Connelly said local businesses can work together to create social events, such as art nights.Norris said the next goal is to create a cultural district for the residential area along the Perkins Road strip.”Creating a residential cultural arts district will help to beautify and revitalize the area,” she said. “It probably won’t happen anytime soon, but it’s a goal we can work toward in the future.”—–Contact Steven Powell at [email protected]