Thomas Marks sits in a circle at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, brush in hand, painting stories from his Wotjobaluk and Gunaikurnai heritage—stories that once had no place in his life behind prison walls. Now, they are his compass. He is one of over 250 First Nations artists who have found a new path through The Torch, a Victorian initiative that uses art and cultural connection to break the cycle of incarceration. For more than 15 years, this grassroots program has worked inside prisons and alongside recently released individuals, offering not just creative tools but a reclamation of identity, purpose, and belonging.
The need is urgent. First Nations people make up just 3% of Australia’s population but account for nearly 30% of the adult prison population. In Victoria, the numbers are just as stark. The Torch meets this crisis not with punishment, but with pigment, poetry, and ceremony. At the heart of its work is the belief that culture is healing—and that creating art is an act of resistance, resilience, and rebirth. Each piece painted, woven, or carved in The Torch’s in-prison workshops becomes more than art; it becomes evidence of transformation.
Since 2006, The Torch has supported over 250 First Nations artists, with 85% of participants remaining free from reoffending two years after release—nearly double the national average for Indigenous Australians. Every artwork sold through The Torch’s online gallery returns 100% of the proceeds directly to the artist, empowering them to earn a legitimate income and rebuild their lives with dignity. Melissa Bell, a Gunditjmara and Yorta Yorta woman, describes the profound joy of expressing her Country on canvas: “To be an Aboriginal female artist and to put down a beautiful picture and express my Country to other people is amazing.” For Aaron Duggan (Gunaikurnai/Wurundjeri), the program has been life-altering: “The Torch has shown me a way of making money without crime and changed the way I earn a living. I can show I’m a better man.”
Beyond the canvas, The Torch offers mentorship, exhibition opportunities, and cultural guidance, ensuring artists are not just surviving but thriving. Their annual exhibition, We Sit in Circle, held each July at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, is a powerful public testament to this journey—where art becomes dialogue, and silence gives way to story.
This is more than art therapy. It is cultural resurgence. And as more Australians choose to buy from The Torch’s gallery or donate to its mission, they’re not just funding art—they’re funding futures, one brushstroke at a time.