Art room sings Cher

Walk into the office of room 202, and instead of the paintings students would typically expect in an art teacher’s office, one’s eyes immediately notice the photographs of Cher, an American pop music artist, all over the walls.

Art teacher Stephen McCue first became a fan of Cher when he saw her on the “Sonny and Cher Show” as a 7 year old. Seeing Cher sing “Half Breed” on a huge white horse, McCue was immediately drawn into her.

“I just looked at her and said, ‘Wow. I’ve never seen anyone like that before.’ She was striking,” he said.

McCue’s passion for Cher is clearly illustrated on the walls of his office. Since he first started collecting Cher pictures five years ago, McCue’s office now boasts countless pictures of the artist he bought online.

McCue said that most of the items in his office are purchased from eBay and Cher fan sites. Her huge fan base makes it convenient for him to buy rare Cher collectibles online.

Other photos in McCue’s office are copies of the more expensive items he stores at home. As an avid Cher poster collector, McCue has an investment collection of her hand-signed photographs and valuable out-of-print pictures.

The pictures in his office follow Cher throughout her successful career. One poster shows Cher posing from when she was 26 years old, and another more recent picture captures her at 65.

McCue’s latest addition to his office, a present from an alumnus, hangs on the wall above his desk.

“I had a former student who was just as much of a Cher Freak as I am, and he had all these images that he found online that I had never seen so he printed them out and hung them up,” he said.
One of McCue’s favorites in his room is a copy of a hand-signed image of Cher from Las Vegas, bought from eBay. The original resides in his collection at home.

McCue’s passion for Cher is so strong that his students can feel it every time they step into the classroom.

“I think his pictures of Cher are a bit unusual, but it’s one of the things that makes him unique, which is a good thing,” says sophomore Eric Taw, a former student of McCue.