I think the uplifting of quilting from "just women's work" or "something your grandmother does" to being seen as an actual art form partly came from the women's movement of the 60s and 70s. When society became more aware of the value of "women's work" and women themselves began to see the value of their work, they could see that quilting is an artistic outlet just like painting or sculpting. And just like painting or sculpting, there is equal value in traditional patterns and more modern designs. We're all artists and we rock.