About Armando Silva
Armando Silva is a painter, muralist, and performer who uses his artistic superpowers to tell powerful stories, build community, and inspire youth through art. As a recipient of a Governor's Creative Leadership award from Colorado Creative Industries in 2018, Silva has been celebrated for his collaborations with cities, non-profits, businesses, and educators across the state and beyond.
Silva was born in Sombrerete, Zacatecas, Mexico. At age 5, his family moved to Northern Colorado to pursue the American Dream, and Silva submerged himself into visual and performing arts as a way to communicate and find his identity as an ESL student. After developing his talents throughout high school, he decided to invest in them and received a BA in Fine Arts from The University of Northern Colorado.
Silva believes his artistic abilities come with the responsibility to lead, educate, and give back to the community. His artistic practice focuses on compelling portraits that tell personal stories, sometimes created on canvases in his studio, or other times created through live performance in front of thousands. Silva's large-scale mural installations give communities a way to communicate messages that can't always be said in words.
Silva currently lives in Greeley, Colorado and is deeply embedded in creative leadership throughout the community. He co-directs the Colorado Dance Collective, a non-profit adult dance company. His art studio and gallery space contribute to the revitalization of Downtown Greeley, and he serves on the Greeley Creative District board. Silva is on the Think360 artist roster, an agency that places working artists in schools for workshops, residencies, and performances.