In 1982 he retired from his teaching position. In 1984 Carl opened the Sublett Gallery in the 11 Street Artist's Colony at the site of the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, TN. This was a venue for Carl as well as many other artists for the next five years. In 1991 The Unseen Carl Sublett was the first exhibit at the new Knoxville Museum of Art and in 1994 he received a lifetime Achievement Award from the Knoxville Arts Council.

A Visual Odyssey: the art of Carl Sublett with an eponymous catalog was an award from the University of Tennessee and was set at the Ewing Gallery and traveling for two years 2000-02. A solo exhibit courtesy of the Hampton Gallery, Taylors, SC was held at the Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC from Nov. 2002 - Jan. 2003. A second Sublett Gallery has been opened in Union, Maine at 496 Wotton's Mill Road on July 10th of 2006 for the purpose of exhibiting Carl's work in northern New England.