It's wrong to assume that "everyday artists" and people who actually care about art are insulated from this. Some worthwhile artists get promoted into this high

It's wrong to assume that "everyday artists" and people who actually care about art are insulated from this. Some worthwhile artists get promoted into this high-prices world of prestige, and their production/careers get distorted. For better or worse, the humble $500 "everyday artists" you seem to be affirming are, for the most part, not intellectually or culturally relevant. But this isn't about affordability, it's about the valid art culture (the mainstream) being corrupt and overheated. Good artists get swept up in it.