Providing a creative outlet

In 2005, California native Joan Hofmann had three young children to entertain, but she found her new town, Moscow, didn't have many wintertime activities.

"When I moved here, there was nothing," Hofmann said. "(There was) really nothing to do if your kids weren't into sports."

So in October of that year, Hofmann decided to open a paint-your-own pottery studio, Wild @ Art, in Eastside Marketplace. It was the type of business she'd seen pretty often back home in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hofmann also offered art classes at the studio and sold art supplies.

"People could come in and play, and kids could get messy," Hofmann said.

Hofmann ran the business in Eastside Marketplace for seven years, before personal reasons led her to downsize. 

At first, the business was mobile, just a small space where people could pick up pottery, paint it at home and return it to Hofmann to be fired, but after a few months, Hofmann decided to open back up to drop-in visitors in a small space behind One World Cafe.

A year later, in 2013, Hofmann decided to sell the business. The new owners operated it for some time before selling it to University of Idaho law professor Jeff Dodge and his husband, Mark McLaughlin, who Hofmann knew.

"I was really happy that somebody that I loved was taking it over," Hofmann said.

The couple later moved the studio to its current location on Third Street. Hofmann kept in contact with Dodge and McLaughlin, giving them advice for the business while working at her new job as AmeriCorps placement coordinator at the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute.

With their bigger space on Third Street, Dodge and McLaughlin began hosting canvas painting classes as a more flexible option for Wild @ Art patrons. Some customers, such as parents visiting their children at the UI or Washington State University, might not be able to wait four days to pick up their finished pottery, but canvas paintings are ready to go home that day.

"It's nice to have a couple options," Hofmann said. "They really built the business in a new direction."

In 2017, however, Hofmann asked the couple if it might be possible to have a bigger role in the company.

"I was really missing that creative component," she said.

To her surprise, Dodge and McLaughlin offered to let her buy Wild @ Art back.

"I wanted to do it, but I knew I couldn't do it on my own," Hofmann said.

So Hofmann asked her partner, Donald Stanziano, to help with the purchase. He said yes, and the couple bought the business in May. Stanziano runs the studio, while Hofmann works at PCEI full time in addition to her responsibilities at Wild @ Art.

In the nine months since Hofmann and Stanziano took over, they've partnered with Moscow Brewing Company to add another artistic avenue for customers - glass painting - while continuing to hold canvas painting sessions.

While they occasionally host workshops taught by visiting artists, Hoffman and Stanziano said they'd like to provide more permanent activities, like regular art classes or even a children's summer camp. It's all in the spirit of giving back to the community, Hofmann and Stanziano said, and they hope to connect with other local businesses and nonprofit organizations to better serve the Moscow area.

"We are very interested in and have a lot of affection for this community," Hofmann said. "We want to open the space up to people in the community - as a creative space, as an art space."

Since February is Heart Health Month, Hofmann and Stanziano decided to donate 25 percent of their Feb. 18 proceeds to Gritman Medical Center, and earlier this year, they did a similar fundraiser for Lena Whitmore Elementary School, raising $500 toward the school's efforts to make its playground equipment compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"We like doing things like that," Stanziano said.

Though neither Hofmann or Stanziano were traditionally taught in the arts, they help guide artists while they're painting, whether it's pottery, glasses or canvases.

"We're kind of art explorers, and we want to teach other people to explore their creativity," Hofmann said. "We guide people through an inspiration. We don't ask them to copy something we've already done."

Stanziano said he tries to create an environment in the studio where people of all ages feel comfortable with expressing their creativity.

"Leave the critic at the door - you're here to have fun," Stanziano said. "There's a lot of unlearning that we do here. Give yourself permission to have fun, to be childlike again, to be creative."

Though Hofmann was inspired to found the business for her children's sake, she stressed it's also a place for adults to have fun, too.

"It really isn't just a kid's activity, it really is an adult-friendly thing," Hofmann said. "It's really just a great way to spend time together."

Alysen Boston can be reached at (208) 883-4624, or by email to aboston@dnews.com.