Muncie is rich with public art thanks to iconic sculptures like Appeal to the Great Spirit, Beneficence, Spirit of the American Doughboy, and The Passing of the Buffalo. Created by renowned artists like Daniel Chester French, Cyrus Dallin, and E.M. Viquesney, the works help define the city’s artistic landscape! Still, some of Muncie’s most beloved pieces of functional art can be found in its parks and playgrounds. For that, we have Richard Kishel to thank- especially for my personal favorites: his rimp-romps.

Born in Minnesota on November 3, 1923, Dick Kishel was one of eleven children. His passion for art took him across the Midwest as he honed his craft at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the University of Minnesota at Duluth, and the University of Iowa¹. In 1953, he arrived at Ball State as an Associate Professor of Art for Burris Laboratory School -my alma mater- where his influence left a lasting mark².

Six years after arriving at Ball State, Kishel transformed the Burris playground with his own creations. He designed and fabricated a whimsical collection of play equipment for elementary students that included stone turtles, toadstool-shaped hopping stones, and towering five-foot steel cactus trees. The real standouts were named by his students, who called them rimp-romps³.

Trying to describe a rimp-romp is a little like channeling Nervous Norvus as he described a pterodactyl in Ape Call. It was kind of a part bird, part dinosaur thing- an odd, charming creature painted in soft, muted colors. With its rounded edges and smooth sides, rimp-romps were designed for safety when playtime got a little too wild⁴. 

Kishel’s rimp-romps didn’t just delight kids at Burris- they popped up all over Muncie. His company, Art Forms, crafted the quirky play structures for Heekin Park⁵, Mister Fifteen restaurants⁶, and other spots around town. You can still find a red one standing tall at Jack’s Park. As far as I know, it’s a rare survivor!

For years, another rimp-romp stood beside a Kishel toadstool on a patch of city-owned land at the southwest corner of White River Boulevard and College Avenue. I’d driven past it countless times, barely noticing it, until the day I saw it down. My curiosity was piqued! Recent work on the intersection appeared to have knocked the rimp-romp over, leaving it in a sorry, broken state. I captured photos of it in repose over the years. Now it’s gone.

Dick Kishel’s romp-romps might be my favorite pieces of his, but they’re far from his only works in the area. For starters, Art Forms was responsible for the thirty-two-foot-tall Paul Bunyan statue in front of Timbers Lounge⁷. Today, one of his old Burger Man statues from Mister Fifteen stands outside of a bar in Shirley.

Art Forms left its mark far beyond Muncie, crafting sculptures for the original Indianapolis Children’s Zoo, enormous ice cream men at Hartford City and New Castle, and even a towering Uncle Sam that made its way to Vincennes. Let’s not forget the countless concrete playground tortoises that became childhood staples!

Don’t get me wrong, though. Dick Kishel wasn’t just about the big, bold, and quirky- he created personal, non-commercial pieces too⁹. No matter how much I appreciate the entirety of his work, though, it’s his rimp-romps that keep pulling me back. I’ve only ever seen two in the wild, but there’s something about their energy that makes them unforgettable.

Like all of Dick Kishel’s pieces, his rimp-romps dare you to discover them: to stop, look closer, and wonder. That thrill of the hunt keeps me searching as I drive around. Have you spotted another rimp-romp out in the wild? Drop me a tip so I can track it down and snag a photo!

Sources Cited
1 Richard F. Kishel, 86 (2010, September 12). The Muncie Star Press. p. 6. 
2 (See footnote 1).
3 Asst. Prof. Richard Kishel of Ball State Art Department Designs New Playground Equipment (1959, October 25). The Muncie Star. p. 18. 
4 (See footnote 3). 
5 Amusement Area OK’d at Prairie Creek Park (1965, June 15). The Muncie Star. Pp. 1-2. 
6 Kids Discover New Playground (1965, Octoboer 12). The Muncie Star. p. 7.
7 Frankensteins Come Big at This Man’s Workshop (1965, December 19). The Muncie Star. p. 37.
8 Greene, D. (1970, October 14). Seen and Heard in Our Neighborhood. The Muncie Star. p. 4. 
9 Stearns, D. (1975, April 20)> First One-Man Show. The Muncie Star. p. 13.