Making Sense CIO is an artist-led charity working to make creativity and culture accessible, joyful and meaningful across cultural and care settings.Culture in Care is a programme supported by Arts Council of Wales and developed with Wrexham Council social care partners and the local Activity Coordinator network.
The programme explores how creativity can become part of everyday care, supporting the wellbeing, confidence and recognition of activity coordinators as well as creating meaningful, person-centred experiences for residents.
Six Creative Residencies in Wrexham Care Homes
We are seeking expressions of interest from professional artists and creative practitioners to collaborate with care homes in Wrexham as part of an exciting programme exploring creativity, wellbeing and person-centred dementia care.
Each residency will pair a professional artist with an Activity Coordinator and care home residents to co-design and deliver a creative programme around one of six themes. The residencies aim to build the confidence of care home staff while creating meaningful, joyful and inclusive experiences for residents.Residency Themes
We are looking for artists with experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Multi-Sensory Interaction– Developing person-centred sensory experiences, particularly for people living with advanced dementia.
- Words, Poetry and Song– Exploring storytelling, poetry, songwriting and the spoken word to encourage communication, reminiscence and creativity.
- Welsh Language and Other First Languages– Celebrating language, identity and culture through creative engagement, recognising the importance of mother tongue in later stages of dementia.
- Digital Engagement (RITA)– Working creatively with RITA (Reminiscence, Interactive Therapy & Activities) touchscreen technology to inspire engaging one-to-one and group sessions.
- Mark Making– Encouraging process-led visual art where the focus is on creativity, expression and enjoyment rather than a finished outcome. This residency will contribute to the development of a practical toolkit for care homes.
- Dance and Movement– Exploring person-centred movement and dance to promote wellbeing, connection and creative expression for people of all abilities.
Who We're Looking For
We welcome expressions of interest from professional artists, participatory arts practitioners and creative facilitators with:
- Experience of delivering participatory creative projects.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
- Experience working alongside care home staff and older people.
- Experience of dementia-friendly practice or a willingness to learn.
- A collaborative, flexible and person-centred approach.
Experience of working in health, social care or community settings is desirable but not essential.
What the Residency Involves
Artists will work in partnership with a care home's Activity Coordinator to:
- Design and deliver a creative residency based around one of the six themes.
- Support Activity Coordinators to develop confidence and sustainable creative practice.
- Engage residents through inclusive, person-centred activities.
- Contribute ideas, reflections and learning that can be shared across the wider care home network.
Each residency includes:
· 8 x 2-hour workshop sessions in one care home
· 2 Creative Wellbeing sessions for the wider Activity Coordinator network
· Planning, reflection and mentoring conversations as part of the wider Culture in Care programme
Professional artist fee: £1,600
Materials and travel expenses will be reimbursed.
Mentoring support will be provided throughout the programme.
To Apply
Please send us:
- A short expression of interest (maximum 400 words or a three-minute video/audio submission).
- A CV or short artist biography.
- Up to five examples of relevant work (images, links or PDFs).
- Please indicate which residency theme(s) you are most interested in and explain why.
Please send your expression of interest to: info@makingsensecio.co.uk
Timescale
Application deadline: Monday 27 July 2026Artists selected/notified by: Monday 3 August 2026
Residencies and Creative Wellbeing sessions will take place between September 2026 and July 2027.
We actively welcome applications from artists of all backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you would like this information in another format or wish to discuss access requirements, please get in touch.