Bill Collister has a loud upstairs neighbor, and that's just the way he wants it. The owner of Columbia Kettle Works has formed a partnership with Alison Liebgott, a local artist, to create Switchboard Studios, located on the second floor of the brewery at 40 N. Third St.

"We are an artist collective and music event space," Liebgott said. On any given day, there might be an art show happening, a yoga class, an open mic session or a live concert.

Since opening Columbia Kettle Works in 2014, Collister had hosted music on the second floor, but the pandemic put that on hold. "I was really groping around, looking for something to do with the space," he recalled. "I needed somebody to run the upstairs space who would be good at it. I have an interest in art and art in Columbia in particular, but running the day-to-day operation of the space wasn't something I enjoyed." He knew Liebgott mostly through Facebook, so he reached out to her in early 2022 to see if she had any interest in coming into the space.

As it turned out, she was looking to make a move, and the project came together quickly. Liebgott named the space Switchboard Studios & Gallery as a tribute to the telephone company that built the building and used to occupy the space.

Liebgott got to work making the space a welcoming place for art of all types. "We have an open call for art every Fourth Friday," she said. "It's a new gallery show each month, and it's open to anyone. I wanted artists to have an outlet to get exposure and get their art seen." There is no entry fee for artists, and the exhibit's theme changes monthly. Local musicians often perform on opening night as well, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m.

Switchboard Studios is also home to seven artist workshop spaces, some of which house more than one artist. "All of the artists have different areas of expertise," Collister noted. "It's all different genres and mediums of art." The space is designed to allow visitors to peek into the studios and see works in progress, and many artists open their workshops to the public during Fourth Friday events, Liebgott said.

Liebgott has also introduced Switchboard Soirees on the third Saturday of the month, each featuring a pop-up caterer and a live band. Paint-and-sip events are held regularly, along with yoga classes, poetry slams and comedy nights.

Collister, whose downstairs space regularly hosts trivia nights and vinyl record nights, said Switchboard Studios is the perfect complement to the Kettle Works.

"I feel like I'm creating something up here, and I find it's very rewarding to give these artists a place to work," he noted.

Liebgott said the plans for Switchboard include continuing to expand the in-house offerings and promote all types of art. "We're working on building the arts scene in the middle of town," she stated. "We want to be the central art and music hub of Columbia."

For more information on Switchboard Studios, including a complete schedule of upcoming events, visit http://www.switchboardstudiosandgallery.com.