Where art is the conduit between pain and healing.
It is a blue Victorian with murals on the siding, instruments in the front room, art on every wall and a zen garden out back. On any given week it is a gallery, a stage, a pantry, a recovery meeting and a place to sit down with a cup of coffee and a person who listens.
The Clarity House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We meet the community’s needs by listening, and by offering essential needs and services that improve quality of life. We use the power of art to connect and support our local community.
We are a creative space with a mission to uplift our community through art. That was true when the house opened as Madison House of the Arts, and it is still true now.
What changed is how much the community asked of the house. People came for a show and mentioned they had no food at home. Artists came to paint and talked about recovery. Families came for breakfast. Neighbors asked about water. Each time, the house said yes, and each yes became a program.
Art is a positive coping tool, a way to slow down, and a way to say what is hard to say out loud. It is also how a room full of strangers becomes a community. No skill required.
Recovery is at the center of what this house is now. Our Mindfulness Recovery Group is peer-led and non-clinical: real people in a circle, keeping each other going. Free Narcan is always available.
Water, food, clothing and a warm room are offered with dignity, no paperwork, no judgment. Some people come here to create. Some come because they don’t want to be alone. Both are welcome.
Madison House of the Arts, or MHOTA, began as a community arts house: shows, jams, poetry nights and gallery walls. As the house grew into recovery support, food and water programs and family services, the name grew with it. The Clarity House reflects the whole mission, not just the art that started it.
The people, the address and the welcome are unchanged. If you knew us as MHOTA, you already know us.
Chris is an award-winning photographer, artist and music film director. His passion for the arts and community is the perfect combination for leading The Clarity House. Chris resides in Madison Heights with his two children.
Jeff is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the music and media industry. He has dedicated his time to working with homeless and domestic violence shelters, as well as with kids in foster care. His passion for music and helping at-risk youth led him to start an after-school music program where students learned to read, record, write and market their music through his recording studio. Jeff also serves on the board of Root VR, a virtual reality program that uses VR to facilitate therapy with foster children and other at-risk youth.
The Clarity House is run by volunteers and neighbors. Join them. Media inquiries and past coverage are on the Press page.