This was the first major exhibition at the newly organized Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center. Although it was called an arts center, the interior of the building was still very much a barn. The trenches were still in the concrete floors; the stanchions were still in place; there was nothing covering the windows; and even though the cows had been gone for a decade, there were flies everywhere. While it is unimaginable that anyone would consider displaying quilts in such an environment today, the artists whose works were deemed "not a quilt" (and therefore quite unacceptable to the organizers of the other quilt shows of the day) were delighted to finally have an opportunity and a venue where this newly developing cousin of the classic quilt -- the art quilt -- could finally be seen.

Under the administrative leadership of Nancy Crow, Françoise Barnes, and Virginia Randles, a dedicated corps of volunteers organized the distribution of the entry forms and the jury process. One hundred ninety six artists submitted 390 works. Jurors Michael James, Renee Seidel, and Gary Schwindler selected 56 quilts by 43 artists. The exhibitiors represented twenty states and one foreign country. There were no awards granted.

In the program that was available in Athens, Ohio, during the 1979 exhibition, there was the following introduction, written by Gary Schwindler for this show.

He wrote: QUILT NATIONAL '79 demonstrates eloquently two important phenomena characteristic of the contemporary American art scene. First, there is increasing prominence of the so-called "crafts" within the broad spectrum of the plastic arts; and second, quilting in particular is emerging as a vital category of the fiber arts and possesses enormous expressive potential.

American quilt making is now at a stage of experimentation and development as it prepares to take its place as a major form of artistic endeavor. This notion is supported by the variety of media employed and the number of directions indicated by the artists represented in QUILT NATIONAL '79. Such a broadening of the horizons in American quilt making no doubt reflects tendencies notable in most of the other American arts produced in the last few decades. For example there has been a reduction, if not complete elimination, of arbitrary barriers of media between categories of art. There has also been an increased interest in industrial materials and processes for artist purposes and a willingness on the part of "serious" artists to explore and enter into modes traditionally excluded from the status of "fine" art. The appeal which quilt making presently exerts on American artists is indicated by the demographics of Quilt National '79. Originally, 196 individuals from 43 states entered 390 works. Of these, 56 quilts by 44 artists from 20 states were accepted for the exhibition.