Art in Miami: Art Basel

Last week I visited Miami to see friends, walk on the beach, and feast my eyes on art!
My trip coincided with Art Basel, the most prestigious art show in the Americas. Hundreds of leading galleries from the US and other countries showcased works by more than 2,000 artists. It’s a way to take a quick peek at the contemporary ‘art scene’ in just one place but impossible to see or take everything in during such a short stay.
The questions the show sparked for me are: How does an artist earn the title ‘contemporary’? How does a dealer determine which artist has or will have value? Is an artist’s work valued only by his/her commercial viability? Who and how does one judge the artistic merit of an artist or piece of artwork? These are questions I ponder in the vast array of art I viewed and the questions I ask myself at given points along my own artistic journey.