Hayley Davis

CV

HAYLEY DAVIS

Educator | Artist | Creative Director 

Founder & Creative Director, Parados Education Inc.  |  hayley@paradoseducation.org  |  paradoseducation.org


PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Educator, artist and creative director with more than 11 years' experience in Queensland education and a growing practice in community arts, place-based learning, environmental storytelling and intercultural exchange. Founder of Parados Education Inc., developing interdisciplinary programs that connect young people with arts, culture, Country, community and the natural environment. Preparing to commence PhD research in 2027 focused on Blue Space Learning and intercultural exchange between Australia and Indonesia. Creative practice spans visual arts, music, dance, drama, puppetry, costume design, storytelling, festival production and participatory arts.


RESEARCH & PRACTICE INTERESTS

Blue space learning; place-based and experiential education; arts-based research; environmental storytelling; cultural sustainability; community cultural development; intergenerational learning; creative practice research; reciprocal intercultural exchange; Indonesia-Australia collaboration; ocean literacy; youth arts practice; storytelling, performance and living cultural knowledge.


EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

  • Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, 2024.

  • Graduate Diploma of Education, Southern Cross University, 2013.

  • Bachelor of Design, RMIT University, 2011.

  • Bachelor of Arts, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, 2009.


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Founder & Creative Director  |  Parados Education Inc. | 2024-present

  • Founded and lead a not-for-profit arts and education organisation creating creative, cultural and environmental learning experiences for children and young people.

  • Design and deliver interdisciplinary programs integrating visual arts, music, performance, storytelling, outdoor learning, environmental education and community engagement.

  • Lead project development, partnerships, grant writing, fundraising, marketing, program design, governance development, budgeting and community engagement.

  • Collaborate with artists, educators, environmental organisations, cultural knowledge holders, families and community partners across the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Gympie regions.

Teacher - Arts Education  |  Queensland Department of Education | 2014-2023

  • More than 11 years' teaching experience across music, visual arts, dance and drama, including regional and remote Queensland contexts.

  • Designed inclusive, creative learning programs and supported beginning teachers through mentoring and collaborative practice.

  • Experience includes instrumental music and arts education in Aurukun and work across diverse school communities.


SELECTED PROJECTS & CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

Cooroy Community School  |  Development Lead | 2026-present

  • Co-developing a community-designed, place-based learning initiative auspiced by Parados Education, with learning across literacy, numeracy, science, arts, outdoor education, culture and community.

  • Leading organisational development including program planning, family communications, handbook development, marketing, grants, partnerships and governance systems.

Blue Space Learning Pilot  |  Creative Director / Lead Educator | 2026

  • Developing a nine-week Sunshine Coast pilot for young people aged 7-14 exploring how sustained learning on and in the ocean can support connection to place, environmental understanding, creativity and cultural sustainability.

  • Program includes ocean literacy, coastal ecology, surfing, snorkelling, deep listening, ecological art and field-based learning with guest practitioners and community partners.

Honourable Harvest  |  Creative Director / Lead Artist | 2026

  • Developing a 25-minute interdisciplinary children's performance for Maleny Music Festival exploring food, gratitude, reciprocity and relationships between people and the natural world.

  • RAF-supported project combining collaborative songwriting, puppetry, movement, live music and performance with young artists, families and professional collaborators.

Earth & Ocean Storytellers / Cooloola Stories  |  Creative Director / Lead Educator | 2026

  • Designed and delivered an interdisciplinary arts and environmental storytelling program connecting young people with the landscapes, waterways and ecology of the Cooloola and Noosa regions.

  • Led collaboration with artists and environmental practitioners across sound, painting, film, fauna, dunes, surfing and visual storytelling, culminating in the Cooloola Stories exhibition.

Parados Book Week Festival  |  Founder / Festival Director | 2026

  • Developed a free community festival celebrating children's literature, storytelling, performance, creative making and community participation.

Indonesia / Sumba Cultural Exchange Development  |  Researcher / Creative Practitioner | 2026-present

  • Developing reciprocal creative and educational relationships in Indonesia focused on blue space learning, storytelling, environmental knowledge, cultural sustainability and community-led exchange.

  • Current development includes field research, relationship-building, documentary practice and future youth learning resources.

Woodford Children's Festival  |  Creative Practitioner | 2025

  • Creative arts practice and engagement within the children's festival context with Catbird Theatre.

Queensland Art Teachers Association | 2025

  • Designed and delivered a professional development puppet-making workshop for art teachers, sharing practical approaches to puppetry, visual storytelling and classroom creative practice.


CREATIVE PRACTICE

  • Costume design, puppetry and visual theatre.

  • Songwriting, music, movement and performance with children and community participants.

  • Creative storytelling, visual arts and participatory installation.

  • Festival, exhibition and community arts production.

  • Environmental and place-based creative learning.


AWARDS & RECOGNITION

  • Matilda Award nominee, Costume Design, 2025.

  • Emerging Puppet-Making Award nomination, 2026.


COMMUNITY, PARTNERSHIP & PROJECT SKILLS

  • Arts and education program design and facilitation.

  • Community cultural development and youth engagement.

  • Grant writing, fundraising, budgeting and project acquittal.

  • Partnership development and stakeholder communication.

  • Festival, exhibition and performance production.

  • Child-safe program planning, risk management and outdoor learning logistics.

  • Marketing, website content, communications and community outreach.

  • Volunteer, artist and collaborator coordination.


CURRENT RESEARCH DIRECTION

Preparing to commence PhD research in 2027 investigating Blue Space Learning and the role of creative, place-based and intercultural approaches in supporting young people's relationships with ocean, Country, culture and community. The research will explore reciprocal knowledge exchange between Australia and Indonesia, with particular interest in storytelling, environmental knowledge, creative practice and cultural sustainability.