Korsten exhibition traces South Dakota corn harvest at Washington Pavilion

Scott and Marilyn Korsten opened a six-month photography exhibition June 17 at the Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center in Sioux Falls, featuring more than 20 images of the annual corn harvest in eastern South Dakota and nearby Minnesota. The show blends documentary detail with a narrative view of rural work, timing, and teamwork across the central Plains.

Why it matters: - The exhibition turns a familiar agricultural process into a visual story about rural labor, community, and the economy of the central Plains. - The show gives visitors a close look at the people and machinery behind the annual corn harvest in eastern South Dakota and nearby Minnesota. - The Korstens’ work adds a regional photography project to the Washington Pavilion’s lineup of visual arts programming in downtown Sioux Falls.

What happened: - Scott and Marilyn Korsten opened their solo exhibition, “Payday in the Heartland | The Dance,” on June 17, 2026, at the Washington Pavilion Visual Arts Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. - The exhibition is on view in Gallery 301, the Pavilion’s first-floor gallery. - The show is scheduled to remain open for about six months. - An artist reception is set for Friday, July 17, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The details: - The exhibition features more than 20 images centered on the annual corn harvest across agricultural communities in eastern South Dakota and nearby Minnesota. - The photographs focus on movement, coordination, pressure and beauty during harvest season. - The project also emphasizes the role of weather, timing, land, machinery, family and teamwork in bringing the harvest to completion. - The images include sweeping field scenes, intimate portraits, machinery studies and moments from dawn to evening. - Works in the show include “Seamlessly Synchronized,” “Grand Choreography,” “Bringing It Home” and “Day’s End.” - The artists’ work is presented as more than documentation, with the harvest framed as a visual choreography. - More information is available on Scott and Marilyn Korsten’s work. - Washington Pavilion visitor information lists hours and details for the venue.

Between the lines: - Bob Killen, founder of the National Park Photography Expeditions Fine Art Mentor Program, said the photographs honor the people who do the work and elevate the visual language of rural life. - The project reflects the kind of long-form, exhibition-ready work encouraged by the NPPE Mentor Program. - The exhibition gives a cultural frame to farm labor, showing harvest as both demanding work and a coordinated community effort.

What's next: - Visitors can attend the artist reception on July 17 or see the exhibition during its six-month run. - Scott and Marilyn Korsten’s project may also serve as a public example of mentor-driven photographic storytelling aimed at gallery presentation. - The Washington Pavilion will continue presenting regional, national and international artists across its visual arts spaces.

The bottom line: - “Payday in the Heartland | The Dance” uses photography to turn corn harvest into a portrait of work, place and rural culture.