Hayley Panangka Coulthard is a leading Western Aranda artist and cultural leader with the Hermannsburg Potters, where she began her practice in 2009 under the mentorship of senior potters, including her mother, Anita Ratara. Hayley is known for her technically skilled and artistically rich ceramics that express her profound connection to Country.
Hayley has exhibited in more than 50 group exhibitions across Australia and internationally, and her work is held in major public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of NSW and Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. A two-time finalist in the prestigious Wynne Prize (2022, 2023), she is also celebrated for her popular AFL-themed pots, with works acquired by the Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria. This year Hayley participated in True Story, an exhibition and project facilitated by Artback NT, which received the 2025 NT Arts Access Award for Accessible Arts Project of the Year. Her work will feature in After the Rain: the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial at the National Gallery of Australia in December 2025.
In recent years, Hayley has led the revival of using locally harvested clay from her Country around Ntaria in Hermannsburg Potters’ practice. She presented this project and exhibited the resulting works at the 2024 Indian Ceramics Triennale in Delhi. Hayley is an integral mentor within the art centre, generously sharing her skills and experience with emerging artists. She is deeply committed to keeping Western Aranda culture strong through teaching the next generation to work with clay as a way of storytelling and sharing artistic and cultural knowledge.
In 2025 Hayley completed a Certificate II in Visual Arts through Charles Darwin University—her first formal qualification. Throughout her studies she explored new art forms, deepened her experimentation with clay as a contemporary medium, and was awarded the Edgar Dunis Award for Outstanding Achievement by a First Nations Student in the Arts.
A dedicated arts worker and leader, Hayley has served as Chair of the Hermannsburg Potters Board (2022–2023) and has previously sat on the Desart Inc. Board.