Joséphine Denis

Haitian curator and writer based in Tkaronto, Joséphine Denis is Co-Director and Director of Curatorial Initiatives at Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND) Gallery, where she develops programs and exhibitions rooted in experimentation, collective research, and exchange. Her work engages with diasporic practices by attending to material culture, ritual, and sound, tracing how historical narratives and other forms of memory circulate, persist, and transform across geographies and generations.

She previously contributed to curatorial and public programs at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery (Tkaronto) and SBC Gallery of Contemporary Art (Tiohtià:ke/Montreal). Selected exhibitions include Other Territories (Canadian Cultural Centre, Paris), Amartey Golding: In the Comfort of Embers, and Sandra Brewster: By Way of Communion (The Power Plant). She has gained experience at Serpentine Galleries (London, UK), Lehmann Maupin (New York, US), and Faurschou Foundation (Beijing, China). She holds a degree in Art History and Communications from McGill University. She has written and edited for various contemporary art publications. Raised in Port-au-Prince and later in New York, she grounds her work in the guidance of her kin.

Joséphine Denis will be speaking at the Museums & Public Programs Summit 2026 :

Beyond Scale: Small Institutions, Stronger Connections

At BAND Gallery, public programming is not a didactic add-on but a space for knowledge exchange, inspiration, networking, and shared meaning-making. Our programs extend the institution into the community, making the arts sector more transparent and accessible by revealing the layers of production, labour, values, and professional development that shape artistic work. This talk explores how small institutions are uniquely positioned to lead this work: staying close to artists and audiences, responding to emerging needs and interests, and becoming vital partners to larger museums seeking more responsive, innovative, and community-rooted forms of engagement.