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It’s 5:30 p.m. and the artist was supposed to start setting up more than three hours ago.

But there is no artist. There is no art. A veteran event planner might not panic, but Jeremy Theriot puts on the Perspektiv art show in his spare time.

He picks up his cell phone and starts making some calls.

“The artist is MIA,” he says. Unsure of his next move, he agrees to call if he hears anything and hangs up.

The stress in his voice permeates over the phone. Ten minutes later, the artist shows. It was all a misunderstanding, and everything is on track. Theriot calls back, sounding relieved. He recounts the events and signs off in a much better mood. Crisis averted.

Theriot and friend Brian Smith are the masterminds behind Perspektiv, which is held every Wednesday night at Rasputin. An out-of-the-box event, Perspektiv mixes the trendy downtown locale with up-tempo dance grooves and unconventional art.

Realizing the need to expose people to the ever-changing art landscape in Baton Rouge, Theriot and Smith showcase avant-garde, edgy artists working below the radar.

From vintage re-fab fashion design to screen-printed t-shirts to photo-manipulation, Perspektiv has showcased the work of local artists including Joseph Parker, Alexander Harvie, Daniel Beach and Hannah Guarisco.

What makes them different? Theriot and Smith don’t collect commission on any of the artwork sold. In fact, they laugh at the idea.

“We wanted to create a place for artists to show their work without having to pay,” Theriot says. “If you show at a gallery you have to pay out commission, and that’s not what we’re about. We want artists from 18-years-old to 50-years-old to be able to show here without having to worry about all that B.S.”

Aside from having day jobs, the two friends spend their evenings in the booth at Rasputin spinning the latest in house music as deejay alter egos Brian Patrick and Fish ’n’ Chips. You may remember them from their brief stint at Tsunami before The Man shut them down, but that’s another story.

With their days and nights filled with the demands of work and spinning, they joke they must have been crazy to take on another commitment. But, for two months solid, the friends have been booking artists and playing the latest from Om Records in an effort to get the word out about new artists and new dance tracks.

“It’s like we live here,” they both say of Rasputin with smiles, and although they both get overwhelmed, it’s clear they love what they’re doing.

Their talk of the artwork and music pours out with an uncontrolled exuberance, which belies their cool collectedness. They finish each other’s sentences as they wax intellectual on the difference between house and break beats. Through their excited banter a crowd has started to trickle into the sensual, red environ. It’s 10 p.m. Bartenders have been shaking out signature vodka cocktails in honor of the showcase, and the two promoters spring into action. Excusing themselves, they climb into their perch in the booth ready to pump out the soundtrack for the evening’s gritty talent hanging on the walls.

The show goes off without a hitch and the evening’s initial scare seems like a distant memory. The two are worn out by the end of the night and must get home. They have jobs they have to get up for.

“It’s tiresome,” Smith says. “But, it’s our passion to get out and show people the type of music we love. Perhaps introduce them to a new artist. It’s almost become like a damn crusade.”