Ben Dempcy Artist Salon: Embrace Your Whole Self

Saturday, February 22nd | 6 – 8 PM

@ The YES! House | 726 Prentice St, Granite Falls, MN

Our first 2025 River Valley Ripple Artist, Ben Dempcy, will be showcasing his work on Saturday, February 22nd from 6-8 PM at The YES! House! Ben will give an artist introduction at 7PM followed by a Q& A.

Let's get rid of the stigma that we need to be ashamed of our dark feelings. Anger. Self-Doubt. Grief. My paintings have been a safe place to be with those feelings and coincidentally have produced some darker themed works. Acknowledge your darker side with a "Frustration Canvas," which gives you a chance to splatter paint any of those feelings out while you are here!

This event is free and open to the public with appetizers and refreshments available.

Artist Bio:

I'm Ben Dempcy. I currently live in Granite Falls, MN with my wife, Krishana and my daughter, Nora. I grew up an hour west of Granite, so I guess I didn't make it too far! I'm a videographer for Pioneer PBS during the day, but at night I fancy myself a painter. I started painting in a college art class and have continued off and on throughout my life. I don't know how I would classify my style, but I do know that I enjoy exploring darker themes through painting. I have always been drawn to art that exposes the shadows of life. We're all multi-dimensional people who embody both light and darkness. I try to capture that. Mainly, though, I like to paint what I would like to look at. I hope you would like to look, too!

This RVR Artist Residency is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.