Thomas Blackshear is an award winning artist of our time. His art has been used by companies such as Universal Studios and Lucas films as well as the US Post Office.[1]. Blackshear is the artist behind several US postage stamps, including those honoring James Weldon Johnson, Ida B. Wells, James Baldwin, and other historical black figures.[2] The exhibit for his work on these stamps premiered in the Smithsonian in 1992. Blackshear has also earned the Society of Illustrators' Gold Medal.[3] Blackshear also has a line of figurines known as Ebony Visions, which feature black characters as an alternative to the usually predominately  white figurines sold in most stores,[4] though he does produce figurines which feature white characters as well.