New arts district approved along part of Perkins Road

• By CHAD CALDER
• Advocate business writer
• Published: Oct 8, 2009 - Page: 6B

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The stretch of Perkins Road between the Baton Rouge Gallery and College Drive is the city’s second cultural products district, a designation that uses tax credits and sales tax exemptions to stimulate arts development.

The state board that approves cultural products districts signed off on the Perkins Road proposal, which already received approval from the Metro Council in June.

The announcement was made Wednesday at Ann Connelly Fine Art Gallery on Perkins Road at a news conference that also served to tout the upcoming World Cultural Economic Forum and Louisiana Cultural Economy Summit in New Orleans.

That event, spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu and the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, will be held Oct. 29-30 in New Orleans. It will bring delegations from 25 countries to discuss the importance of culture as economic development.

The boundaries of the Perkins Road Arts District were set to have a public arts anchor on one end in the Baton Rouge Gallery and a private one on the other end in the Ann Connelly gallery, Ann Connelly said.

The idea, she said, is that the existing arts and cultural offerings in between will develop and be joined by others that spring up because of the district.

Original works of art sold in cultural products districts are exempt from sales taxes and historic buildings within them are eligible for state tax breaks if they are renovated according to proper guidelines.

The first such district for Baton Rouge is downtown, and another is in the works for Midcity.

Connelly said that when she was approached by the owners of the recently remodeled Southdowns Shopping Center about relocating, they specifically made a pitch for a strong arts presence there. Needing to expand from its Jefferson Highway location anyway, the gallery decided to make the move.

Connelly said one potential event for her gallery might be to do something in conjunction with Baton Rouge Gallery on its First Wednesday art openings every month.

Landrieu stressed the importance of viewing art, music, architecture, food and culture as economic development. He said his mission has been to convince those in state government that the same things that stimulate development of traditional industries — tax incentives, education programs and marketing — can be used to develop the cultural economy.

He said the cultural economy employs 14 percent of the state’s work force and Louisiana’s uniqueness and authenticity are unmatched in the country. The key, he said, is to stop shipping its cultural assets to other parts of the country.

Also at the news conference, Quint Davis, chief executive officer of Festival Productions Inc. New Orleans, said the lineup of the country music festival planned for Tiger Stadium on Memorial Day 2010 will be announced on Oct. 21 and tickets will go on sale Nov. 5.