You may not recognize the name Jim Miller-Melberg, but if you grew up in the U.S. you very likely played on one of his concrete playground sculptures. Do you remember climbing on top of a turtle or porpoise? Winding your way through a swiss cheese wall? Or perhaps you grew up on the west coast and remember shooting outdoor hoops at a net held aloft by a swooping cantilevered arch? These are all Miller-Melberg designs.

Jim Miller-Melberg was a student in the Cranbrook Academy of Art BFA program from 1954-1955, who went on to found a successful business in concrete playground and park forms, creating everything from play sculptures to chess tables. Cranbrook is fortunate to have both his turtle and dolphin play sculptures on its Schools campus, and both are cared for as part of the Center’s Cultural Properties Collection.

This summer, Cranbrook Archives added a small collection of Miller-Melberg’s papers. The materials highlight his decades-long career, including his midcentury success with concrete forms. They also detail his later studio work in small- and large-scale metal, wood, and plaster relief and freeform sculpture. Several sketchbooks contain studies for these sculptures alongside his ventures in the medium of painting. We are excited to preserve and share another Cranbrook artist’s unique story!

To learn much more about Miller-Melberg and his work, visit The World of Jim Miller-Melberg a comprehensive history of the artist carefully researched and written by Cranbrook Kingswood Schools faculty Eric Lorey.

—Deborah Rice, Head Archivist, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research   

Note: Jim Miller-Melberg’s play sculptures will be explored as part of Docomomo US/Michigan’s Tour Day 2026 program this Sunday, October 11, on Belle Isle. Learn more and register here.