Clay on Steele is a community art center focusing on promoting the arts, specifically ceramics, by providing instruction, space for personal exploration and exhibitions.

For Information on classes, hours, events and more, click on the Information tab.

Clay on Steele hopes to foster an appreciation and awareness for the arts that meet the needs of local and tourist groups as well as special needs populations within the Door, Kewaunee, Brown and Manitowoc communities. Please click on the page "TL Foundation" for information on grants offered to artist by the owners of Clay on Steele.

Owners Mark Kolinski and Ellen Levenhagen have been a part of the Door County art scene since 1985 working in their studio on their farm and exhibiting their work at Edgewood Orchard Gallery in Fish Creek. In 1992 they decided to shut down for awhile and enter the world of international school teaching. Working in studios overseas during the school year and back at their Door County studio in the summer kept the ideas flowing. Throughout it all, they began to develop the idea of opening up a small arts center. Just before returning to Door County for good, they bought the Kohlbeck building in Algoma with Mark's brother Kris. In the spring of 2003 Kris and Mark began work turning the old clothing store into a pottery studio and gallery on the ground level with rental lofts on the second level.

Now that Mark and Ellen are away teaching during the school year, Kris is running the operations at Clay On Steele. They continue to be open for studio time, classes and community activities.

The ART INCUBATOR is a new initiative to encourage working artists to use Clay on Steele as their studio away from home. A cadre of artists work from the studio; helping in the operation in trade for studio time.

For Information on artists and the gallery, click on artists tab.

Contact Kris for more information.

The raku kiln is often fired
up at Clay on Steele
on Saturdays.

Students working during
the Clay and Culture
Grant program