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A life-size bronze sculpture of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert is coming to Chicago, and a local producer is a driving force behind the effort.
Pam Kasper, who has been working on a Siskel and Ebert documentary with director Michael Bonfiglio for the past two years, wanted to come up with a way to honor the two famed film critics in Chicago. She said she was inspired after seeing a statue of Ebert outside the Virginia Theatre in Champaign.
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“I realized that we have so many tributes in Chicago to people who have had such an influence — athletes, politicians. But there wasn’t anything about Roger and Gene,” Kasper said. “Despite how popular and influential they became, they never left Chicago. They were on the air for 25 years nationally, and they could have left.”
Alongside burgeoning careers and appearing on talk shows like “Saturday Night Live” and “The Tonight Show,” Siskel worked as the Chicago Tribune’s primary film critic for 30 years until his death in 1999, and Ebert worked for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years until his death in 2013.
“They were stars, they were celebrities, but they wanted to stay grounded in Chicago and always kept their newspaper jobs,” Kasper said. “I thought it was really important that Chicago gave back by honoring their legacy.”
The sculpture is expected to be complete by 2028, Kasper said. She said she’s aiming to raise $230,000 for the project, partnering with Chicago Gateway Green for corporate sponsorships and public donations.
A Hollywood memorabilia auction will also help raise money for the project. People can enter to win items donated by movie studios and celebrities, including an apron signed by “The Bear” cast and gifted by Christopher Storer, the show’s creator.
Other items include a “Toy Story” Jessie doll signed by Evanston native John Cusack, a “Caddyshack” lobby card signed by Evanston native Bill Murray and two “Mad Men” costume renderings signed by designer Janie Bryant. A cast member-led tour of the renovated “Brady Brunch” house in Los Angeles and a 30-minute Zoom call with Lee Eisenberg, a head writer for “The Office” sitcom, will also be part of the auction.
People can donate, enter the auction and follow along with the statue project on its website. Fundraising started Thursday.
“Everybody can help build this cool tribute to two men who are so important to our city,” Kasper said.
News of the sculpture was first reported Thursday by Crain’s Chicago Business.
‘Siskel and Ebert: Two Thumbs Up’
Standing at 6-foot-5, the Siskel and Ebert statue will be at Prudential Plaza. 130 E. Randolph St., chosen for its visibility and proximity to where Siskel and Ebert once worked. Ownership was “immediately open to the idea of having this piece of public art on the plaza,” Kasper said.
The statue is being created by Preston Jackson, an Illinois sculptor, painter and professor emeritus of sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
“I wanted to make sure (the artist) was someone who understood who Roger and Gene were, and also, quite frankly, had the talent to pull it off,” Kasper said. “In seeing Preston Jackson’s work, I knew that this was the right man. Not only is he brilliant and talented, but he’s an interesting guy, he’s from the area.”
Titled “Siskel and Ebert: Two Thumbs Up,” the art piece will picture Siskel and Ebert standing side by side, each of them holding a thumbs up gesture in a nod to their movie-rating system. After a spirited discussion about a movie, the duo would famously signal whether they liked it with a thumbs up or thumbs down. If a film received a coveted “Two Thumbs Up,” film studios would often use it for advertisements.
“I think there are a lot of people today that might have heard of Roger and Gene … but they don’t really know how influential they were,” Kasper said. “Even just the ‘Two Thumbs Up’ rating system, that was the precursor to Letterboxd and Rotten Tomatoes.
“I want people to know and remember that … they were about spirited debate, but also about respecting each other and listening to each other, which in today’s world you don’t get a whole lot of,” she said.
In front of Siskel and Ebert, there will be two metal theater seats to allow people to interact with the art piece.
“I thought it would be so cool to have something where people … could go and interact with Roger and Gene in theater seats and put their own thumbs up to pay tribute to two guys who meant so much to so many people,” Kasper said.
“They’re both so close to my heart, and the statue was born from the work on the documentary. It’s a lot of work, but it is so much fun and so gratifying,” Kasper said. “To see people’s faces when they see the rendering of the statue makes all this worthwhile. Even their families feel the same way — the Siskel and Ebert families have just been so wonderful and supportive.”
Kasper also hopes this will be “just a fun thing for the city.”
“I mean, how fun to walk around Michigan Avenue or be at Millennium Park and walk over to Pru Plaza and be able to take a picture with this really cool piece of art,” she said.
