Tiny characters burst and twirl through the small studio packed with parents and family members. Blank ceramic mugs, bowls and plates line the shelves awaiting personalization. Plain wooden figures and paddles hang on a wall in want of color. Moscow Wild at Art is a place characterized by color and creativity.
Splattered paint trays became centerpieces on this Halloween afternoon. The room contains the ebb and flow of costumed children — their primary objective to fill their bags and buckets with candies.
Philip Vukelich | Blot
Mark McLaughlin and Jeffrey Dodge hold their adopted son Marley Tyson Dodge-McLaughlin. The two were among the first couples to receive a same-sex marriage license in Latah County.
The owners of the business, a newly married couple, joked with the children and extended warm greetings to their parents. University of Idaho’s Associate Dean of Students for the College of Law Jeffrey Dodge and his husband Mark McLaughlin own Moscow Wild at Art.
Dodge handles some of the business and marketing aspects, while McLaughlin handles the vision and creativity.
“It’s been a great way to connect with the community at large through art,” Dodge said.
The couple moved the business near the intersection at 3rd and Main in downtown Moscow in mid-November.
Dodge and McLaughlin were among the first couples to receive a same-sex marriage license in Latah County. They had their recently adopted baby son, Marley Tyson Dodge-McLaughlin, with them when they got married.
A young couple in Boise selected Dodge and McLaughlin for an interview to become the adoptive parents of their newborn baby. The birth parents interviewed two couples and were expected to make a decision by the end of the day.
“We had a 50-50 chance going down there, that by the end of that day, we were going to be parents and meet our son,” Dodge said.
Dodge said he and McLaughlin didn’t sleep well the night before the interview. All they could do was wait.
Dodge and McLaughlin prepared for an intense and scrutinizing interview. They expected to be asked about their values, religion, how they were going to raise the child and what they could offer him, Dodge said.
“A lot of (birth parents) are really not interested in that. They want to know, ‘I have a good feeling about these people and what they can do for our son,”‘ he said.
The Boise couple talked about their dogs in the interview, and about their own lives and goals, Dodge said. The young couple was interested in Dodge’s extensive traveling due to his involvement with international programs and in Dodge’s and McLaughlin’s desire for global travel, he said.
“So I think it was just more about a connection and them envisioning, I think, what their son’s life would be like with us,” Dodge said. “For us it was just a powerful gift.”
Dodge and McLaughlin moved to Moscow for Dodge’s job at UI. They quickly felt at home in Moscow and said the community has supported their business, their marriage and the adoption of their son.
Philip Vukelich | Blot
“I’ve never lived in a place that I like more than here,” McLaughlin said.
As the Associate Dean of Students at the law school, Dodge provides guidance and support for law students. He helped increase admissions for the College of Law and oversees the marketing and communications managers.
Dodge said he would like to eventually be more internationally focused.
“He sees something he wants or something he thinks needs to happen and makes it happen,” McLaughlin said.
Dodge has always been driven and focused, according to his father Jack.
“He was really an excellent student and respected by all, whether that was students or the faculty,” he said.
Dodge went to University of California at San Diego intending to study musical theater. However, he changed his degree to political science and graduated with honors before attending law school at Hofstra University in New York.
“I think the thing we’re most proud of in his graduation from law school is that he got a significant award for his pro bono work,” said Lynette, Dodge’s mother.
She said she likes knowing her son uses his law degree to help others and that he finds purpose in his work.
Dodge’s parents said they included their three children in volunteer work with them at early ages. Jack Dodge said he thinks this helped instill an appreciation for the value of helping others, but also thinks Dodge has an innate desire to help people.