I guess it makes some people feel important to disparage anything they don't know much about. You didn't say what your response to him was, but I hope he didn't make you feel any uncertainty about your choice.
Quilting the way I do it is more of a hobby, just done for relaxation and to pursue a little creative impulse. But living in the Houston area, I have had the opportunity to see many of the world's most exquisite quilts over the years, and there is no doubt whatever that some quilters are artists of first rank, and many create quilts that are artistic and unique, in many cases intended only for display as art work. A person who thinks of a quilt merely as some old traditional craft done by following simple, uncomplicated traditions hasn't seen the half of it, and anyone who does creative work could be improved by more knowledge and a broader exposure to different ways with fabric, color, texture, tools and techniques.