Drawn Inside is an exhibition highlighting not just the exceptional draughtsmanship of three artists, but how they use their imagery to pull the viewer into their conceptual worlds. This group of three artists, through the mastery of their techniques and a healthy dose of humor, invite the viewer into their worlds of politics, sexuality, sociology and anthropology.

Exhibiting Artists: Ken Mabrey, Erika Nelson and James Mundie

The Center for Emerging Visual Artists is located at 237 South 18th Street, Suite 3-A, Philadelphia PA 19103.

The exhibition featured Susan Hagen, James G. Mundie, Sarah McEneaney, Tina Newberry, Bill Amundson, Judith Schaechter, Ted Adams, Carol Nowak, Jim Knipfel, Mitch Gillette, Mike Walsh, and the underground zine Expresso Tilt.

For those of you who didn't know her, Gretchen Worden was a kind-hearted and generous spirit with a wicked sense of humor. She was always most gracious to me (and many others), generously giving both her time and advice. I was honored when Gretchen invited me to poke around in the back storage rooms of the Mütter Museum, and ecstatic when she bestowed upon me the very great honor of allowing me to borrow several valuable items from the Mütter's collection for one of my exhibitions. She was keenly aware and appreciative of artists like myself who found a strange beauty in the Mütter's collection of unusual medical specimens, and the access to these resources that she provided for us non-medical folk was unprecedented.

The Mütter released the following obituary, which now appears on their website:

Gretchen Worden, who devoted her entire professional career to revitalizing the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, died August 2nd after a brief illness. Ms. Worden relied on an encyclopedic knowledge of medical history, a tart sense of humor and a compelling television presence to forge an international reputation as a museum educator and spokeswoman for the Mütter. Her recent book about the museum became a best seller. She was a frequent guest on The Late Show With David Letterman and appeared in numerous science documentaries produced by the BBC. Ms. Worden, who was 57, continued to work until a few days before her death.

Ms. Worden, the daughter of a Standard Oil geologist, was born in Shanghai, China in 1947. She graduated from Temple University with a degree in Anthropology in 1970. She joined the staff of the College's Mütter Museum as a curatorial assistant in 1975. Ms. Worden became the museum's curator in 1982 and its director in 1988. As the leader of the museum, she presided over a facility with unique historical and pathological collections that was little known to the public. Knowing that its long-term future depended on the museum's acquiring a higher public profile, Ms. Worden worked tirelessly to promote it. Her efforts included numerous appearances on television and radio, offering lectures about the museum from Philadelphia to Paris and launching a popular series of museum calendars. When Ms. Worden became curator in 1982, the museum attracted several hundred visitors each year. At the time of her death, museum visitation had grown to more than 60,000 tourists annually. Ms. Worden's ultimate goal was to have the Mütter Museum accredited by the American Association of Museums.

Commenting on Ms. Worden's contributions to the College of Physicians, College President Arthur Asbury, M.D. noted that "The College of Physicians is deeply saddened by the loss of Gretchen Worden. She embodied the Mütter Museum both locally and nationally for three decades. She is irreplaceable". Recalling his own experience working with Ms. Worden, the College's Chief Executive Officer Mark S. Hochberg, M.D. said "Gretchen was an incandescent personality. She represented a unique combination of curatorial brilliance, superb communication skills and irresistible charm. The College of Physicians family has lost a treasured colleague and friend".

Gretchen Worden was known for her wide ranging intellectual interests. She was a past president of the Medical Museums Association, Museum Council of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley and the Walt Whitman Association. She was a long serving member of the Board of the Friends of Independence National Historical Park.

The Spencer Museum of Art described Conflicting Memories as "an opportunity to examine how works of art participate in recording our cultural past — a process that often involves conflicts between the histories established by those in power and the alternative histories of those subjected to that power... Conflicting Memories includes work from the past five centuries, but is primarily dedicated to contemporary art and to the recent notion of cultural memory, a term that describes the essential cultural record that is passed on to succeeding generations through such avenues as ritual, celebration, advertising, consumer items, literature and the arts."

"'Prodigies' is weirdly spellbinding, juxtaposing familiar historical images and art with clever twists on the Victorian 'Freakshow'. Mundie is aware of the modern sensibilities which might misinterpret his art, which he explores in his discussion of the historical context. Individual pieces throughout the gallery are also accompanied by text with historical references...

"Aficionados of good web design will also enjoy the Victorian sideshow metaphor sustained throughout the website, which is beautifully presented without sacrificing ease of navigation."