Tarleton Blackwell is often cited as being one of the preeminent members of a group of younger African American contemporary artists whose work plays a critical role in the current influx of this genre into the mainstream. He has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including the 1994 Southern Arts Federation/ National Endowment for the Arts Regional Fellowship in Painting. Blackwell has been named an "Outstanding Young Man of America" and an "Outstanding Professional South Carolinian in the Field of Art". Blackwell's work has been displayed in over 350 exhibitions and is included in a number of collections including the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, N.C.; Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, S.C.; Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ga.; and the Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, S.C.