We recently connected with Benjamin Bobinac and have shared our conversation below.

Benjamin , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I was allowed to make the skateboard plaque at Desert West Skateboard park in west phoenix. Growing up there in that neighborhood and watching all of my friends hard work pay off I wanted their plaque to be shown in a better structure than the original one. So during an addition to the park I got the ok to make something else. The first skateboard was totally freehand out of shotcrete. The locals broke the wheels and cracked the original trucks. During Covid I was able to cut the broken pieces off and make a metal truck and concrete wheels that roll . The whole park is big deal for me and being able to put a little of myself there meant a lot to me.

Benjamin , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Skateboarding in backyard pools led me to build pools . After years of making funny sculptures out of extra concrete we had on jobs . It was like a form of graffiti. I knew someone had to clean up the job and was gonna find it . Some clients complained about the sculptures. Then one of our clients found out that I was the guy who made the concrete faces and had me pulled off the job. I was asked if I could spend the day making him faces out the concrete and he would cover my pay for the day. I was told that I would have to take my sculptures home from then on so that wouldn’t happen again. That led someone to see one of my faces and told me about 1st Fridays at n phoenix. I had a really good response to my sculptures and that was the start .

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding part of my art journey has been to see the reactions of people when they see or stop and take time to enjoy something i’ve made.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Give them a place to show/sell their work for free without having them pay for licensing and make their art a business. I enjoyed selling my sculptures at markets and art shows but so much paperwork and fees made it hard . Some nights you sell nothing ,other nights were amazing. I still loved the experience .

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: Benjiebean
• Facebook: Benjie Bobinac