If you’ve been following The Torch for a while, you may have come across the work of Flick Chafer-Smith.

Flick is a Ngarrindjeri artist. Her work incorporates the diamond and parallel line work that south east ‘Australia’ is known for.

About a year ago, Flick joined our Program team as our first woman Arts Officer with lived experience of incarceration. She’s mentoring all 78 women in our In Prison and In Community programs. And together, these women are experiencing some great wins.

Flick shared, “seeing a lot of the women that I have spent time with [in prison] pick up a paintbrush for the first time, have their first sale, have their first license or commission, and go through the range of emotions that I’ve been through myself – when you have that first purchase, feeling worthy and like an artist – it really warms my heart. Because I know how life changing that moment is, and when the women experience that, it’s a proud Mama moment.”

But generally speaking, things aren’t moving in the right direction for all First Nations women.

First Nations women are the fastest-growing prison population, incarcerated at 17 times the rate of non-Indigenous women. They represent 34% of female prisoners, yet less than 2% of the Australian population.

The over-policing of First Nations women is compounded by the disproportionate number of First Nations women denied bail, impacts of structural racism in the legal system, laws and policies that disproportionately impact First Nations women. First Nations women who experience family violence risk being misidentified by police as perpetrators, resulting in criminalisation. ~ 90% of First Nations women in prison are victims of violence. First Nations women also experience higher rates of recidivism.

And this was part of Flick’s story before she connected with The Torch.

Flick served her first sentence when she was just 18 and spent six years inside, across multiple sentences. In 2018 a friend encouraged her to get involved in The Torch program. At first, she was unsure – she didn’t think art wasn’t for her:

“I’ve said it myself, and I hear it constantly when I go in, ‘I’m not creative. I can’t paint. I can’t draw. I can’t do any of that’.”

Joining The Torch also gave Flick access to cultural materials and an opportunity to learn more about her mob and re-connect with culture. It boosted her self-esteem and gave her an opportunity to see herself in a different light.

Flick took an online Bachelor of Business through Swinburne University while still inside, showing her incredible determination and commitment.

The Torch’s CEO Susannah Day shared about when she first met Flick at the women’s prison Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in 2019:

“I walked over to her in the art room, and she showed me what she had been working on. It was a super complicated geometric pattern that she’d seen in a TV commercial and wanted to figure out how to replicate.

It was clear to me then – and still is – that she is whip-smart and so driven to change her life’s trajectory. I walked away that day knowing that we would be so lucky if she would work for us post release.”

When Flick was released in 2020, The Torch offered her an Accounts Assistant role. She quickly learnt accounting software and billing.

Needless to say, Flick has had an extraordinary post-release journey. It hasn’t always been in a straight line, but even through relapse and recovery, she has stayed true to herself and committed to her cultural practice. In fact, she says painting kept her out of prison in those dark times.

“I know first-hand that [art] can make all the difference when you’re in community and you are going through hard times. Instead of picking up a drug or a phone to call somebody you know you shouldn’t be hanging out with, picking up a paintbrush and using that to get through those challenging moments can make all the difference”

It’s this insight that Flick now brings to the role – and personal relationships with many of the women, through time served together.

“When I came into this role 12 months ago, they had no choice. I would spot them in the yard, and I’d say, ‘you get over here!’. At first, a few of them just came for the yarn, came for the catch up – and then they started coming with an interest to paint and create, and being able to give them resources around what they’re looking to paint and helping them bring that out of their mind and put it on canvas has been amazing.”

And these personal relationships with some of the women Flick knows from her time inside, helps build trust with the women she didn’t already know. This trust has allowed the In Prison program to flourish, even when Flick isn’t there, despite many of the prison art programs no longer being offered:

“The women are getting together and teaching each other different techniques when I’m not there, so it’s really picking up and creating that sense of family and sisterhood that used to be there”

This connection in prison and in community is having positive outcomes. At this year’s Confined 16 exhibition, we’ve seen more engagement from women artists then we’ve ever had before, including a 70% increase in the number of artworks presented.

Flick recently shared some of the wins at a recent team meeting – Alisha F commissioned to paint footy boots, Thelma Beeton’s solo show, Narnz recently released and already getting involved in Weaving Workshops and working on the Confined 16 installation. When Flick talks about the success of women in the program, her face lights up. You can see that she’s genuinely happy for the women she works with – and that she has great pride in her work.

Re/Connecting First Nations women with culture, encouraging an art practice, mentoring, and opening up potential opportunities is our core work. And the stats show it works.

Each year, the recidivism rate for participants in our program is between 11% and 20%, which is much lower than the average recidivism rate of almost 50% for First Nations people.

Our program has kept Flick out of prison, and it’s keeping others out, too.

“A lot of them are going through hard times with their family, sentencing, bad outcomes at court, things like that – and seeing them reach out, to using art as their way of coping through those times – it’s amazing because art can keep you out of prison and knowing that they are developing it as a coping strategy is amazing.”

And you can be part of this success, too.

We invite you to walk with us, to partner with First Nations artists, and invest in the transformative power of art and connection by making your tax-deductible donation today.