“Art and cultural connection have proven to be transformative tools offering pathways for healing, community reconnection, advocacy and change,” says Susannah Day, CEO and Acting Creative Director of The Torch Gallery, a not-for-profit First Nations-led arts organisation located on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm (Melbourne).
Since its founding in 2011, The Torch has been doing just that – impacting thousands of incarcerated and recently released First Nations people in Victoria through its unique Statewide Indigenous Arts in Prisons and Community Program.
“Over two decades, The Torch has remained focused on reducing reincarceration through cultural, creative and economic engagement.”
“The Torch supports participants to explore their culture to build confidence and self-esteem,” Day says. “By connecting with cultural practices and the arts industry, they often find a sense of identity and purpose. Our programs continue to be informed and shaped through lived experiences of In Prison and post-release artists, who share the knowledge that connection to culture is integral to the healing and rehabilitation process.”
Gunaikurnai artist Rhonda Harrison, who has engaged with The Torch since 2022, agrees.
“It gives me a peaceful mind and makes my heart so happy that I can create anything when painting,” she says.
“From dreamtime stories to telling your own stories and getting your own art out there, you just feel in your soul and knowing that you’re connected not only just physically but spiritually. I know our ancestors have their own way of painting through ourselves too.”
In Victoria, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up less than 1% of the state’s overall population but total 10% of its prison population1 – a grim disparity also reflected on a national level, with Indigenous people 15.6 times more likely to go to prison than non-Indigenous people2.
“The overrepresentation of First Peoples in Australia’s criminal legal system remains one of the nation’s most pressing and painful challenges,” Day says.
“It's a space where initiatives such as those offered by The Torch are making profound and urgent headway.”
The Torch’s In Prison program, run in all Victorian correctional facilities, connects incarcerated First Nations people with Indigenous Arts Officers – some of whom have gone through the program themselves – who offer cultural and artistic education and training that helps incarcerated artists reconnect with cultural identity and tell their stories through art.
The In Community program helps people recently released from prison to continue this journey in the Victorian community, often turning creativity into a source of income and empowerment. Through one-to-one support, Indigenous Arts Officers help artists continue to develop their artistic practice, network in the arts industry and integrate back into the community.
The impact is extraordinary. In 2024 alone, The Torch represented 876 First Peoples artists from more than 80 language groups across the country.
In the last 10 years, The Torch has generated more than $6 million in income for more than 1,000 artists who have actively engaged in its program. The Torch takes no commission, meaning 100% of each artwork’s sale price or licence fee is paid directly to the artist.
Harrison’s work is amongst 235 pieces created in 15 Victorian prisons on display in the sixth iteration of The Torch’s Future Dreaming exhibition – a major income generator for In Prison artists and opportunity to share their voices in the wider community.
“This exhibition poses a powerful question: What future do artists emerging from the prison system imagine for themselves?” Day says.
“My inspiration just comes to me naturally – I mean just to sit there and paint a picture and have a strong spiritual connection. Some days you might not be thinking of anything and start painting, then seeing the picture come together and a story to go with it honestly does amaze me,” Harrison says of the creativity and healing she receives through her art.
The annual exhibition began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I had just gotten off the phone to one of our long-term In Prison artists. He shared that he was feeling forgotten, lonely and isolated. Victorian prisoners were experiencing hard 23-hour lockdown, frequent 14-day quarantine periods and all cultural and recreation programs had ceased,” Day says. “It was clear something needed to be done to provide hope and inspiration for our In Prison mob.”
Alongside the gallery exhibition, Future Dreaming features an artist-led public program of weaving workshops, floor talks, tours and live art sessions – offering In Community artists meaningful employment opportunities and a chance to engage directly with audiences beyond the walls of the exhibition.
The results are visible not only on gallery walls and sales figures, but in lives changed. Nationally, around 50% of incarcerated First Nations people end up back in prison within two years of their release. Day says that participants in The Torch’s programs record a dramatically lower recidivism rate of between 11% to 20%. Every painting sold is more than an artwork; it’s a story reclaimed and a future reimagined.
“It actually means the world to me seeing my artwork in any exhibition and knowing anyone can buy your paintings,” Harrison says. “It’s just a really proud feeling to know my artwork is being acknowledged and being put on show for the world to see.”
Future Dreaming is on display at The Torch Gallery, 146 Elgin Street, Carlton VIC 3053 until 22 November. Visit the exhibition website for online sales and to register for public programs including artist talks, weaving workshops and live art sessions. The Torch is supported by Creative Australia.
- Per Australian Bureau of Statistics at 30 June 2024: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/prisoners-australia/latest-release
- Per Closing the Gap: Annual Data Compilation Report, July 2025, Australian Government Productivity Commission:
https://assets.pc.gov.au/2025-10/closing-the-gap-annual-data-compilation-july2025.pdf
