The Return of the School Weird Design

September 2025

Featuring Artists: Gerald Deloach, David Chapple, Shawn Whittington, Pat Brown and Randall Andrews

Opening Reception: Friday, September 12th from 5-7pm

Open to the Public

Light Refreshments Served

The gatekeeper told the seeker where the treasure was buried. He said it could be found about six feet underground. Being magical, the treasure would only be found if the seekers didn’t think about it while they dug the hole.

The School of Weird Design is that treasure found without thinking. Around 1970, a fellow art student Bill Lauderdale was working on a large non-objective painting in the art department at Delta State. His painting style was a mix of surrealism and symbolism. The head of the art department at the time, Malcom Norwood, walked up to Bill while he was working and commented, “Oooh, Bill! What is this? Some kind of Weird Design?”

This phrase became a joke, a greeting, and a chide for the art students whose work was on the experimental side with a sense of humor.