Neat thing about orchids is that there are native types in almost all parts of the world, except the deserts and Arctic regions. Those are well adapted to growing in most shady areas, and some even grow wild in full sun.
Of course as your climate zone gets warmer, you can grow a wider variety of orchids outside in the shade, too. Here in Florida a lot of us can grow many warm growing orchids year-round outdoors. (as long as the nights stay in the 50's).
Those wonderful moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) that everyone sees at the big box stores, and grocery stores are suited to grow indoors in cold weather but do very well outdoors in the shade as long as the night temperatures stay above 50. They bloom generously, and the flowers last up to 3 months, too. Nice array of colors, as well.
There are also a wide array of ground orchids that actually grow in soil, that make gorgeous shade plants. Most of them would still need winter protection anywhere colder than about zone 8 though. Jewel Orchids have gorgeous sparkly foliage, so they are very decorative even when not in bloom. Phaius (aka Nun's Orchids) are magnificent large plants with stunning flowers on 3ft stems that last for 6 weeks at least.
Spathoglottis are another ground orchid that bloom almost non-stop here, but would go dormant and need winter protection further north (or south, in the Southern Hemisphere). They are offered at the big box store nurseries here year 'round, in a nice array of colors from white, through yellows, pink, purple and bi-colors. Beautiful pleated foliage and good resistance to pests and diseases are another plus for these. The blooms keep on coming on elongating stems that get well over 2ft. tall. Wonderful landscape plants for shady areas!
