Creativity in Community
At Tooth + Nail, we embrace a hands-on, community-driven approach to art and learning. We believe that creativity flourishes in an open, supportive environment where experimentation is encouraged, and mistakes are part of the process.
Our space is designed to foster connection—between artists, students, and the wider community—through shared experiences, meaningful dialogue, and collaborative projects. We prioritize accessibility, inclusivity, and artistic growth, ensuring that everyone who walks through our doors feels empowered to create, learn, and connect.
Art is not just an individual pursuit; it is a collective experience that enriches both the maker and the community around them.
Our Values
For Artists + By Artists
It’s our mission to contribute to the arts community in Milwaukee by creating ways for artist to secure access to a more sustainable living wage through teaching opportunities and community engagement. Our exhibiting artists, workshop instructors, and other collaborators are given freedom, support, and fair compensation for their work because we want to build a world where all artists feel seen and valued. Our ceramics instructors are paid generously, resulting in high-quality experiences for students and helping to redistribute wealth to the most important class in our society ;-) Artists also benefit when they are more connected to each other, generating collaboration, inspiration, and resource-sharing.
Community + Inclusivity
We are more than a studio—we are a creative community built on inclusivity, collaboration, and artistic exploration. We believe that art has the power to bring people together, spark conversations, and inspire change. We prioritize showcasing emerging artists, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, and we are committed to making art accessible to everyone. Whether you're a first-time potter or a seasoned artist, you belong here. We are intentionally anti-racist, anti-censorship, anti-ableist, feminist, abolitionist, anti-fascist, anarchist, and queer as hell.
Janelle Gramling
Our Story
Tooth + Nail was born from a lifelong dedication to creativity and community. Our founder, Janelle Gramling, has been an artist since childhood, always drawn to making, decorating, and organizing spaces. Choosing to forge a creative path outside traditional education, she built a successful handmade craft business as a teenager, driven by a passion for both artistic expression and strategic planning.
From 2005 to 2009, she co-owned Fasten Collective, an artist co-op in Bay View that supported over 50 local makers through retail, exhibitions, workshops, and fashion shows—an experience that deepened her commitment to fostering artistic collaboration. After stepping away from the collective, she focused on her own practice, exploring multiple mediums from fiber arts to ceramics. Over two decades of persistence allowed her to balance a fine art practice with a commercial line of home decor, collaborating with interior designers and art consultants across the U.S. to create work for luxury hotels, restaurants, and private collectors. Her experience as an independent artist has shaped her perspective on the challenges artists face in sustaining their work.
Recognizing the need for more spaces where artists can share, collaborate, and be celebrated, Gramling founded Tooth + Nail in 2024. Milwaukee has a thriving creative spirit, yet limited resources for artists to connect and grow. Tooth + Nail is her answer—a space where creativity isn’t just an individual pursuit, but a shared experience that strengthens the entire community.
Janelle is part of the LGBTQ+ Community and is a single mom to queer-identifying teens.
Want to teach a workshop?
Fill out this form if you are an artist, educator, or community member with a workshop you’d like to teach that will be open to the public. All mediums and topics are welcome!
Contact Us
We’d love to Hear from You
We are community-centered and artist-run and we are always growing and collaborating.
