Should Quilts Be in Museums??

As I turn toward art quilts ,and away from traditional quilts, my thoughts lean toward artsy things. I want quilts in museums and art galleries!! They have categories when there is a call for artists called "fiber art". Isn't a quilt fiber? I think quilts can no longer be considered blankets that just keep us warm. I have had people assume if I was a quiltmaker then I made blankets. After doing show and tell at the local quilt guild, and displaying a wall hanging with lots of embellishments, a member asked me how I planned to wash it. I explained to her it was to hang on the wall like a piece of art and wouldn't need laundering. I have been entering a few of my art quilts in area art shows and exhibits. I want to share art quilts with everyone-especially those who would never see them at a traditional quilt show. I hope to show that art quilts are justified as art and belong in the galleries and museums along with the oils, acrylics, metals and sculptures. On a side note, I was reading in the SAQA Summer '09 magazine about should quilters study art? Some art quilters come from an art background, say as a painter, and have studied these things. And some art quilters start as traditional quilters where they have relied on the quilt store to choose their next project (kits). To learn the principles of design is important in all aspects of design be it quilting, gardening, decorating or fashion design. So yes, study the arts--it can only move you to a higher understanding of why your art quilts are improving and are more pleasing to the eye!!! Maybe your next masterpiece will win a ribbon at the national quilt shows!!