This browser does not support the Video element.
Whitefish Bay art studio closed due to landlord-tenant dispute
Locked out and told to move on! A Whitefish Bay business owner says she's being treated unfairly by her landlord, and now the dispute has temporarily closed her art studio.
WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. - Locked out and told to move on!
A Whitefish Bay business owner says she's being treated unfairly by her landlord, and now the dispute has temporarily closed her art studio.
Tenant-landlord dispute
What we know:
On May 1, Colleen Maier says the locks to her studio Art on Clay were changed. She says she's been trying to extend her lease but says the landlord wants her to go.
For the last three years, Art on Clay has been building its own community after an interest turned into a passion when the doors opened in 2023.
Art on Clay when it was open
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
"There’s about a hundred people that come, and they are a true family," said owner Colleen Maier.
Lately, that community hasn't been able to get together.
Art on Clay
Locked out
What we know:
"They disabled my security cameras, and they changed the locks on the doors," added Maier.
April 30 was the last day she could get inside.
"It was extremely violating and sad," she said.
Colleen Maier
Maier says she exercised an option to renew her lease for another three years, but was told that wouldn't be happening. She's now fighting that.
Efforts to get the studio back
What we know:
"I filed with the court a motion to restore access, and I am awaiting that decision," she said.
Maier says over the years, issues have grown—all stemming from a dispute over utilities.
In January, the property was declared a chronic public nuisance.
Police tell FOX6 they were called to the address 54 times from September 2023 to February 2026.
Art on Clay
There were calls for criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct, but the majority involved the landlord-tenant dispute.
FOX6 stopped by the landlord's home, called and emailed both him and his attorney, but didn't get a response.
"There’s pottery that’s molding and cracking and sitting on the shelves," said Maier.
Tarps sitting in the studio
Maier wants the studio to open again. It's a decision that will be up to a judge.
"We want to get back in here," she said.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Maier says she has been looking for new spaces, but hasn't found one that fits.
She says she has continued to pay more than $2,000 in rent throughout this dispute.
Again, FOX6 reached out to the landlord and his attorney, but have not heard back.
The Source: FOX6 spoke with the owner of Art on Clay to produce this story. Whitefish Bay police provided some additional info.