DeviantART is a Hollywood-based online social network with art as its focus.  Founded in 2000, deviantArt provides access to over 100 million works of art exhibited FREE to its over 16 million members.  This is the world’s longest-running and largest art-centered social network, and it eliminates the physical distance between  multiple artists and between artists and their fans, allowing members of the deviantART community to set up a profile, to create online galleries, and even to build a fan base.  In the deviantART network, artists from over 190 countries connect and collaborate with one another, and even have a sales outlet via the deviantART Shop.  (On a personal note:  I got on the deviantART web site and lost track of time… a lot of time.)

For SXSW 2011, deviantART brings its online social network into the tangible world in Lounge 7 of SXSW Interactive’s lounges with an experience called The deviantART Sandbox, a place to rest, a place to explore, a place to connect with others – or with your own inner artist!  Daily art-focused discussions and classes are featured and there are opportunities to discover new works on display.  There are even opportunities to create your own art in a variety of interactive media – all courtesy of deviantArt.  After a visit to deviantART’s web site, Christina Gulla and Whit Martin-Whitaker stopped by The deviantART Sandbox for an engrossing (addicting?) experience – and even met and interviewed a couple of deviants.  Here is our unedited, on-the-fly interview of Kay Purcell (deviant name:  “damphyr”), Lauren Rawlis (deviant name:  “Lauren Kitsune”), and Zack Isaacs (deviant name:  “Endosage”):

The deviantArt social network can be found at:  http://deviantART.com/.  As an added perk, deviantART Sandbox wallpapers are available for download for desktop,  iPhone, iPad directly from deviantART’s web site.  … and to keep up with the latest in news and updates on this topic, follow deviantART at:  @deviantART.