Daphne (artist-run centre)

The centre was founded in 2020 by Indigenous artists Nadia Myre, Skawennati, Hannah Claus, and Caroline Monnet.^[2] It is named in honour of Odawa-Potawatomi artist Daphne Odjig,^[1] and is the first Indigenous artist-run centre in the province of Quebec.^[3]

In fall 2020, Anishinaabe curator Lori Beavis was appointed as daphne’s first director. She described its mission as being a gathering place centred on the work of Indigenous artists.^[4]

The opening of the physical space was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the centre launched virtually with artist talks and bead nights before officially opening to the public in May 2021.^[5]

daphne’s inaugural exhibition, Parure (2021), featured the work of Wendat artist Teharihulen Michel Savard. The show included silver and copper jewellery, ceremonial headdresses, and mixed-media portraits combining traditional Wendat forms with contemporary materials such as electronic circuitry.^[5][6] The exhibition paid tribute to 19th-century Wendat artist and chief Teharihulen Zacharie Vincent, situating Savard’s practice in a continuum of Wendat cultural expression.^[1]

Subsequent exhibitions have included work by Ilnu artist Sonia Robertson, Kanien’kehá:ka artist Kaia'tanó:ron Dumoulin Bush, and Atikamekw artist Catherine Boivin.^[5] In 2024, the centre presented Kū‘ē me ke aloha (Resist with Love), a solo exhibition by Native Hawaiian artist Solomon Robert Nui Enos, marking the first time daphne showcased the work of an artist from outside Canada.^[7] The exhibition was curated by Skawennati.