About Us

The Little Star Project is combined art and music workshops for children and adults. It is the brain child of Holly and Robbie, two Santa Barbara artists/musicians who met in high school, and reconnected through friends many years later.  Motivated by a love of music, art, and a healthy distain for people who are always on their "devices";  the two put their training to work, and came up with the idea for Little Star. They believe that if you give people the tools and permission to really examine the world around them, with all their senses, that this will benefit everyone.  Sensory engagement and the ability to keenly observe the world around us, they believe are at the base of empathy and agency. These are the building blocks of communication, and what better thing can we be doing than communicating better with our fellow human beings?

Holly received a BFA Hons. at an art school in Dundee, Scotland where she lived and studied for 4 years.  She has been an active member in the Santa Barbara non profit and art community since her return from a stint up north in 2000, and has worked at the Contemporary Arts Forum and Art From Scrap in positions ranging from Archivist to Artistic Director. Holly is an exhibiting artist who's influences are far reaching: from the oceans in Venice, CA to the watery inlets in Cornwall, the Wombles, Sara Sze, Lucienne Freud to name but a few...and all sorts of music.

Robbie got his first taste for performance when he and his Montecito Union classmates were enlisted to sing for Elmer Bernstein on the Meatballs soundtrack in the 70's. A senior high talent show performance singing and playing the guitar sealed the deal - he loved being on stage and found an outlet for this while attending college in Santa Cruz.  Here he met dorm neighbor Gillian Welch and started his first band.  After graduating with a degree in English Literature he followed his muse to San Francisco and played in multiple bands through the next 15 years.  In 2005 Robbie returned to Santa Barbara and acquired his first ukulele which ignited an exciting new musical passion that continues to grow.