There is a collection starting for a statue of Mendel, it will contain DNA of those who donate the most.

Theodor Charlemont: statue of J. G. Mendel in Mendel Square (1910)

Brno – The non-profit organization Společně aims to raise 15 million CZK in a public collection for a monument commemorating Gregor Johann Mendel. Those who contribute the highest amount will have the opportunity to incorporate a sample of their DNA into the statue itself, said Jakub Carda, director of Společně, to ČTK. The collection begins today.

"This is the largest and most unique competition in the Czech Republic, where the creation of a work combines a collection and a contribution from public funds. Given the personality who laid the foundations of genetics, the eyes of scientists and architects from around the world are turned to this project. Mendel, whose 200th birthday will occur next year, has made our country famous in the world more than we can imagine," Carda stated.

The collection is expected to raise 15 million CZK, with an additional ten million promised by the leadership of Brno. "The statue will stand in Mendel Square, which the city of Brno has decided to renovate on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth to make it more welcoming for residents and visitors. We also want to allow for the installation of a unique work that will emerge from this competition in a beautiful environment," said Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL), Deputy Mayor of Brno.

The Augustinian monastery, which is located in Mendel Square and where Mendel was abbot, will reach out to its brothers in foreign monasteries with a request for contributions. "We are glad that we can participate in this historic event in honor of our brother Gregor," stated Juan Provecho, the highest official of the Augustinian Order in the Czech Republic. Contributions for the statue have been promised, for example, by geneticists from the Society of Medical Genetics and Genomics of the Czech Medical Society Jana Evangelisty Purkyně, and Společně aims to reach out to other scientists and philanthropists from around the world.

What the statue will look like will be determined by the competition announced by Společně, which also starts today. The jury consists of nine people, including representatives from the Augustinian monastery, biologists, ethicists, art historians, architects, and the city of Brno. "The competition allows architects and artists free rein in how to conceptualize the monument. There are no significant restrictions regarding materials or form," stated architect Zdeněk Fránek, chairman of the expert jury. The only condition is resistance to weather, vandalism, and the placement of a publicly inaccessible container with DNA samples of the largest donors.

The results of the competition will be announced by the organizers on September 21 of this year. The winner will then have 18 months to create the work.