daphne is an Indigenous artist-run centre in Montreal, Quebec, dedicated to contemporary First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous art.
The centre was founded in 2020 by Indigenous artists Nadia Myre, Skawennati, Hannah Claus, and Caroline Monnet. It is named in honour of Odawa-Potawatomi artist Daphne Odjig, and is the first Indigenous artist-run centre in the province of Quebec.
In fall 2020, Anishinaabe curator Lori Beavis was appointed as daphneâÂÂs first director. She described its mission as being a gathering place centred on the work of Indigenous artists.
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.
daphneâÂÂs 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. The exhibition paid tribute to 19th-century Wendat artist and chief Teharihulen Zacharie Vincent, situating SavardâÂÂs practice in a continuum of Wendat cultural expression.
Subsequent exhibitions have included work by Ilnu artist Sonia Robertson, KanienâÂÂkehá:ka artist Kaia'tanó:ron Dumoulin Bush, and Atikamekw artist Catherine Boivin. In 2024, the centre presented Kà «âÂÂàme 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. The exhibition was curated by Skawennati.