Plan design. The Corn Palace redecorates outside walls annually with new designs and themes. The Corn Palace Festival Committee selects the theme from suggestions submitted through the Corn Palace.
Use select corn. The Corn Palace only uses flint corn, commonly called Indian corn, to deter birds. Flint corn kernels are harder than hybrid corn. The birds try to eat the corn covering the outside walls, but usually move on to find something more palatable, says Corn Palace Director Mark Schilling. There are 13 different colors of corn used in the designs, all grown naturally from flint corn seeds for the Corn Palace.
Decorate the palace. It takes 16 workers about four months to finish decorating the Corn Palace. Decorating starts in May with the removal of underlying materials. Corn, native grasses and other natural materials are nailed or stapled to the walls, making them difficult for birds to remove and consume individual kernels. The murals are completed by October.
