On a Thursday evening in October, about 40 people are gathered in a small building in downtown Columbia. They’re celebrating the opening of Nightjar Arts Collective , a space dedicated to local artists, writers and activists.

Nightjar began as an idea in May. Its building formerly housed stop-gap projects , an artist-run gallery and project space. When that organization’s three-and-a-half-year tenure ended in June, director Anna Wehrwein sought creatives in the area to take over the lease.

She introduced poet Cass Donish, writer Ruth Joffre and organizer Cristina Mislán in hopes they would keep the spirit of the space alive.

Each had their own ideas of filling the gaps in Columbia’s art community: Donish and Joffre wanted to teach creative writing classes, and Mislán wanted a co

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