About
Lisa Paris is an Associate Professor in the School of Education within the Faculty of Humanities at Curtin University, Western Australia. She joined Curtin in 2016 as a Senior Lecturer after a distinguished career spanning over 20 years as a K-12 Visual Arts Specialist in Western Australian schools followed by 11 years as Course Coordinator for Visual Arts Education at Edith Cowan University. Professor Paris holds a PhD (2009), M.Ed (2000), and B.Ed (1984), and currently serves in multiple leadership roles including Subject Area Facilitator for the Arts, Academic Lead for the Professional Learning Hub, and co-leader of the Curtin Creative Education Research Hub.
Professor Paris's research focuses on authentic arts education principles, arts signature pedagogies, curriculum innovation, pre-service teacher education, beginning teacher mentoring, and arts-based research methods with specializations in Visual Arts, Media, and Drama/Performance. She has pioneered reciprocal mentoring approaches and developed the highly successful Curtin Artist in Residence Program which has delivered over 60 arts residencies across WA schools involving more than 1,100 children since 2016. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications in school settings, emphasizing community partnerships and stakeholder engagement.
Professor Paris's scholarly output demonstrates consistent growth in arts-based education research with a recent emphasis on digital technologies in arts education, inclusive practices, and mentoring models. Her publications span high-impact journals across education, arts education, and qualitative research fields. Notably, her 2025 publications explore instrumental peer mentoring through visual arts and safe learning spaces in arts education, building on her 2022-2024 work examining the impact of digital technologies and the pandemic on arts teaching.
- 2023 Curtin University Excellence and Innovation Awards for Programs that Enhance Learning
- 2022 Curtin University Research Excellence & Engagement Awards - Creative Practice Category (Finalist)
- 2022 Curtin Faculty of Humanities - Excellence in Teaching Award
- 2012 Edith Cowan University - Aspire Professional Development Award
- 2011 Edith Cowan University - Early Career Researcher Award
- 2008 Edith Cowan University - Vice Chancellor's Award for Programs that Enhance Education
Professor Paris actively supervises 6 HDR students and has mentored numerous others to completion. She has secured significant research funding including a $38,720 New Columbo Plan grant for the Sustainability Education Sketchbook Project and a $17,400 Pad Robinson Endowment grant for supporting Aboriginal children's transition to school. Her innovative work-integrated learning initiatives include the Curtin Arts Guest Speaker Program (80+ practitioner recordings) and Online Learning Communities that extend student learning experiences beyond the classroom.
Professor Paris founded and coordinates the Curtin Creative Practice Research Hub and the Curtin Artist in Residence Program, which has completed over 55 placements involving 60 student artists and 1,100 children since 2016. She also established the Arts Education Community of Practice and actively engages with industry through roles such as WA School Curriculum & Standards Authority representative and Co-Convenor of the Arts Education Practice and Research Special Interest Group for the Australian Association for Research in Education.
