Recycled fine art

I've just read a piece about two women from Anchorage Alaska, Jacqui Ertischek, an artist and Georgia Blue, a former museum gift shop manager, who have set up an art gallery with a twist, selling art that is recycled from people's unwanted collections.

The gallery is called 2 Friends and Ms Ertischek said the idea came to her when she was fighting through piles of paintings in her closet "Art needs to be seen, shared, loved. That so much art is out of sight is just horrendous."

The women have an interesting approach to commission, dividing the proceeds of each sale between the owner and themselves, with each party passing on 10% to a different local charity each month. The majority of artists are Alaskan, but the pair also take on other works if they fit with their personal vision. They operate from an out-of-town shopping mall, but are planning to expand into online sales as well.

One of their stated aims is to make art more affordable for young people and many pieces are priced below what they would command elsewhere. As well as paintings they sell craft items from Africa, South America and other countries, such as bracelets made by a women's co-op in Burkina Faso from recycled plastic prayer matts.

Does anyone know of any similar schemes?

Picture credit to Anchorage Daily News