Mitchell’s Corn Palace Gets New Corn Murals Every Year. Here’s How They’re Made

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The Mitchell Corn Palace murals are made from real corn. Every year, the outside of the building at 604 N. Main St. in Mitchell, South Dakota, gets new artwork made from roughly 325,000 ears of corn in about 12 natural colors, along with grains and native grasses. Digital media and design students from Dakota Wesleyan University design the murals around a new theme, crews nail split ears of corn onto panels by hand, and the work is usually finished by about October 1.

Here’s how they’re made, in short: a theme is picked, students draw the designs, the designs are transferred onto black roofing paper like a giant paint-by-number, and workers fill in each section with corn cut to fit. The old murals are stripped off in late summer, and the new ones go up in September. It takes more than a million nails.

The first Corn Palace was built in 1892 to show off the fertile farmland of the area and attract settlers. The current building opened in 1921, and Moorish-style minarets and kiosks were added in the 1930s. Admission is free, and the building is open year-round.

How the Corn Murals Are Made

Choosing a theme

Each year, the Corn Palace picks a theme for its murals. Past themes have celebrated rodeos, music, South Dakota history, and American history. The murals installed in fall 2025 marked the country’s 250th anniversary with the theme “250 Years of America.” In February 2026, the Corn Palace announced that the next theme would be a safari, so visitors this fall should expect animals made of corn. Installation can run late in some years, so check progress on the Corn Palace’s website or social media before you go.

Designing the murals

Since the murals designed in 2019, the artwork has come from students in digital media and design courses at Dakota Wesleyan University, a small private university in Mitchell, working with a faculty adviser. Before that, the designs came from local artists. The students draw the designs to scale, keeping in mind that corn comes in a limited range of colors and that small details are hard to make out from the street.

Growing the corn

The corn used on the building isn’t ordinary feed corn. Local farmers grow special varieties in a range of natural colors, including red, brown, black, blue, white, orange, yellow, green, and calico, about 12 shades in all. The corn is planted in separate fields so the colors don’t cross-pollinate.

Transferring the designs

The designs are transferred to large sheets of black roofing paper. Each section is marked with a number or letter that stands for a color of corn, much like a paint-by-number kit. The paper is then attached to panels on the building.

Nailing the corn

Workers cut ears of corn in half lengthwise, then trim them to fit each section. They nail the halves onto the paper, flat side down, following the color guide. The work is done by hand, ear by ear. It takes about 325,000 ears of corn, and the building uses about 1.5 million nails over the course of a year’s decorations.

Adding grains and grasses

Rye, oats, sorghum, wheat, and native grasses are bundled and used to frame the murals and decorate the building’s trim, roofline, and domes. These add texture and contrast to the corn.

Stripping and rebuilding

In late August, crews strip off the previous year’s murals. The new murals go up in September, and the work is usually finished by about October 1. Some of the grasses and trim are refreshed separately. The finished murals stay up until the next year’s stripping.

Weather and birds

The murals are exposed to the weather, which fades the colors over time, and to birds and squirrels, which eat the corn. By late summer, the murals often look worn, which is part of why they’re replaced every year.

What to Expect Inside

The Corn Palace is also a working event center. Inside, there’s an arena with seating used for basketball games, concerts, and community events. When nothing is scheduled, you can walk around the arena floor, where there are displays about the building’s history and past murals. Photos of previous years’ designs show how much the themes have varied.

There’s also a large gift shop, which sells Corn Palace souvenirs, popcorn, and South Dakota products. Outside, look for Cornelius, a statue of a smiling ear of corn that’s the Corn Palace’s mascot and a popular photo stop.

Visiting the Mitchell Corn Palace in Late Fall

Late fall is one of the best times to see the murals. They’re newly finished and at their brightest, and summer crowds are gone. A few tips:

• Admission is free, and the building is open year-round, with shorter hours in the off-season. Check current hours before you go.
• The best photos are from across Main Street. Morning light works well on the front of the building.
• Check the event calendar. If a game or event is scheduled, parts of the building may be closed.
• Weather on the plains can turn quickly in November, so check road conditions before driving.
• Plan about an hour, or longer if you want to look at the history displays.

Getting There

Mitchell is in southeastern South Dakota, just off Interstate 90, about 70 miles west of Sioux Falls. The Corn Palace is in downtown Mitchell, a few minutes from the interstate. It’s a common stop for drivers crossing the state on I-90, including people heading to the Badlands and the Black Hills.

Why the Corn Palace Is Still Built From Corn

The Corn Palace began as a way to promote farming in the region, when communities across the plains built “palaces” from crops to attract settlers and investment. Mitchell’s now bills itself as the world’s only Corn Palace. More than a century later, the yearly mural project still involves local farmers, students, and workers, and it still draws visitors from all over the world.

How Long the Murals Take to Build

The yearly turnover is a big job. Crews start by stripping the old corn and grain off the panels in late summer, then put up the new designs. Workers who have done it for years know how to cut each ear to fit a section and how to space the nails so the corn stays on through a South Dakota winter. Visitors who come in September can sometimes watch the work in progress, with parts of the building finished and other sections still bare. By early October, the new murals are usually complete.

Because the corn is real and exposed to the weather, the building changes a little over the year. Fresh murals are brightest in fall. By the next summer, sun, rain, wind, and hungry birds have faded and thinned them, and the cycle starts again.

Photo Tips for the Corn Palace

• Cross the street. Main Street in front of the building gives you a view of the whole facade, including the domes.
• Get close, too. Up close, you can see individual ears of corn, their colors, and the nails holding them on.
• Look up. The domes and minarets are decorated, too, and the roofline is trimmed with grains and grasses.
• Visit more than once. If you’re staying in Mitchell overnight, the building looks different in morning and evening light.
• Include Cornelius. The mascot statue makes a good photo with family or friends.

Combining the Corn Palace With a Holiday Road Trip

Many people stop at the Corn Palace while driving across South Dakota on I-90, which is a common route for holiday travelers headed between the Upper Midwest and the Black Hills or the mountain West. The stop takes about an hour, and downtown Mitchell has restaurants and coffee shops nearby, which makes it a convenient break on a long drive. If you’re driving in November or December, check the South Dakota Department of Transportation’s road conditions before you leave, since winter storms can close parts of the interstate.

Corn Palace by the Numbers

• First Corn Palace: 1892.
• Current building: Completed in 1921, with Moorish-style minarets and kiosks added in the 1930s.
• Ears of corn: About 325,000 each year.
• Natural corn colors: About 12.
• Nails: About 1.5 million.
• Mural designers: Digital media and design students at Dakota Wesleyan University, since the murals designed in 2019.
• Admission: Free.
• Address: 604 N. Main St., Mitchell, South Dakota.

Where the Corn Goes

When the old murals come down in late summer, the corn has spent a year outdoors and isn’t used for food. Much of the work of stripping the building is done by hand, and the old material is cleared away before new panels go up. The corn for the next year’s murals has already been grown and harvested by then, so the cycle of planting, harvesting, and nailing keeps going year after year.

The Bottom Line on the Mitchell Corn Palace Murals

The murals on the Corn Palace are built fresh every year from real corn, designed by local college students, and nailed into place by hand. Stop on a late-fall drive across South Dakota, when the new murals are finished and the crowds are thin. Bring a camera, say hello to Cornelius, and take a look at how much work goes into a building made of corn.