Overview
- Fundraising began Thursday with a $230,000 goal and combines corporate sponsorships, public donations, and a Hollywood memorabilia auction.
- Preston Jackson has been commissioned to cast a 6-foot-5 bronze of the critics giving thumbs up with two metal theater seats for visitors to sit and pose.
- Producer Pam Kasper, who has been making a Siskel and Ebert documentary, is leading the effort and says both families have approved and supported the project.
- Prudential Plaza at 130 E. Randolph St. was chosen for its visibility and proximity to the critics’ former workplaces and the statue is expected to be installed by early 2028.
- Organizers frame the memorial as a civic celebration of the duo’s influence, noting the 'Two Thumbs Up' rating as a precursor to modern review-aggregation tools like Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd.