by Sherrill Fulghum
She was born in El Centro, California on May 20 to an Armenian father and a Cherokee mother. Her mother raised her, mostly alone, as a part time actor and singer. To a child this was the life and the path she would eventually follow only on much bigger scale. Frustrated with school because she is dyslexic, a 6 year old Cherylin Sarkisian LaPiere left home for Los Angeles, acting classes, and Stardom.
Her career began not as an actor but as a singer. It was here she met her first husband and the one man she truly loved; so much so, that she delivered the eulogy at his funeral even though they had not been together for 24 years.
Two marriages and two children later Cherylin Sarkisian LaPiere Bono Allman changed her name and is simply known as Cher.
The 57 year old singer is making her farewell musical tour. Cher will be performing in Rochester�s War Memorial at the Blue Cross Arena on Friday July 25. Tickets are $61.25 and $81.25. The show begins at 7:30pm.
Cher may be making a farewell tour but she has no plans to disappear. She wants to act in more movies, give directing a try, and perform on Broadway once again. Cher�s first film appearance was in Silkwood. At the premiere the audience laughed when they heard her name. Cher the actor has come a long way since then . At one point in her career Cher found herself working on three films at once. In one of those films � Moonstruck � Cher won an Oscar for her performance.
Cher�s life with Sonny, career as an actor and singer, and as a single parent could not have prepared her to face the one thing about her own daughter she had always known. When Chastity came out to her mother and admitted she was gay, Cher was devastated. According to Cher, she had always known about her daughter. Today the two enjoy a strong relationship and Cher accepts her daughter for what she is. Cher�s other child � Ellijah Blue � has followed in the footsteps of both his parents by choosing music as a career.
Cher has been entertaining audiences for nearly 40 years and is one of the most popular artists to perform among drag queens. She has one Broadway production, eight movies, and 20 albums to her credit. �I love the idea of making songs that rock different generations of people,� said Cher.
Cher says that her mother gave her two pieces of advice. One was that if it doesn�t matter in five years, it doesn�t matter. The other was that no matter whether you are the best looking, the smartest, the funniest, or the most talented; but when you put together all of the things you do have, you are something completely different from everybody else.
Cher has found the way to �Turn Back Time� � wigs, make-up, and a little help from the surgeon�s knife -; but she is also timeless.
See history in the making as Cher performs on Friday July 25 at 7:30pm in the War Memorial at Blue Cross Arena.
by Sherrill Fulghum
�Swamp Thing� Eric �the� Taylor transfers his love and appreciation for the swamp into a visual medium that he can share with the world. Taylor�s latest creation is the Lakeside Swamp located at the corner of lake and Beach Avenues in front of Abbotts. The swamp is a representation of what Charlotte used to be some 150 years ago. The aloe and spider plants that make up the swamp are constructed from plastic; which is the very product that is destroying the swamps still in existence today. Taylor has constructed a ramp to the dock for wheelchair access because Taylor said that he wants as many people as possible to enjoy his work. The music of swamp sounds were created by Taylor using his guitar.
Eric �the� Taylor was born in west Irondequoit. He was raised on the Genesee River near the Stutsen St. Bridge. It is here that Taylor developed his great appreciation for the swamp. The swamp is central to all of Taylor�s art work; just as music is an integral part of his work. Taylor also has a permanent installation on display at Artisan Works (565 Blossom Road) titled the Guitar Swamp. The display contains over 30 guitars along with a Model A Ford.
Educated in music and the theatre, he plays the drums, keyboards, and guitar. He collects vintage synthesizers. Taylor never had any formal art training. Taylor credits his grandfather Edward Taylor, who was an artists, with giving him the creative gene. Taylor says that he was creating art installations before he knew that is what he was doing. At age 12 Taylor decorated the inside of a bar using aluminum foil. A dance was held in the barn that evening.
Besides the Lakeside and Guitar Swamps Taylor has other art work on display at Artisan Works where he has been a member for three years.
Artisan Works is but one of the many sponsors and contributors that helped to make the Lakeside Swamp a reality. Most noted among them is fellow Artisan Works member RJ Dobbs who helped to construct and engineer the project. The Honourable Mayor William A. Johnson, Arts and Cultural council of Rochester, Charlotte Community Association, Harbourtown Merchants Association, the Dewey Ave. NET office, and Abbotts Custard also helped to make the Lakeside Swamp a reality. Mathews and Fields Lumber and Clover Lawn and Landscape contributed materials to construct the swamp. Taylor says that there were a number of people and businesses responsible for seeing the project through to completion and wishes to express his gratitude to every one of them.
The Lakeside Swamp is expected to be on display for about a year. It is the first exhibit to be displayed in the Charlotte area. More exhibits by other artists are also planned in the near future.
Many of the historic sights and buildings of the village of Charlotte are gone; Eric �the� Taylor�s Lakeside Swamp is a reminder of how it used to be in the early days of our village.
Sherrill Fulghum
The dedication ceremony or the Lakeside Swamp by Rochester artist Eric �the� Taylor will take place on Tuesday August 12 at noon. The dedication will include a ribbon cutting with Rochester Mayor Bill Johnson.
The ceremony will take place at the site of the Lakeside Swamp which is located at the corner of Lake and Beach Aves.
The community is invited to attend the dedication of the Lakeside Swamp � the first of many art exhibits to be displayed in the area as a part of the Charlotte Art Gardens.