Candelaria Silva-Collins is a consultant, writer and trainer/facilitator who lives in Boston, Massachusetts. She has designed and facilitated workshops on a wide variety of topics including communication, team building, and parenting issues.

 

 

Arts Administration/Programming

Candelaria is a Marketing Consultant for Door2Door to the Arts, a program of Door2Door Transportation by SCM Community Transportation.  Since 2009 she has researched, developed and marketed a seasonal calendar of arts and cultural events at a variety of prices for seniors citizens.  This project is funded by Tufts Health Plan Foundation and designed to help seniors, primarily from the towns of Somerville, Cambridge, and Medford maintain healthy, mobile and connected lives. For more information about this project, visit www.scmtransportation.org.

Candelaria was the first director of ACT (Arts, Culture & Trade) Roxbury from its inception in 1998 until August 2007.  ACT Roxbury is the cultural economic development program of Madison Park Development Corporation.  She conceived and developed:

  • Roxbury Film Festival: Film Celebrating People of Color
  • Roxbury Literary Annual
  • Roxbury Open Studios
  • Roxbury in Motion (plays)
  • Roxbury Discussion Series
  • Playwright Mentorship Series (led by Ed Bullins, Kate Snodgrass and Lydia Diamond)
  • Danette Jones Business of Culture Series (professional development workshops for artists)

She played a major role in the creation of the Roxbury Center for Arts at Hibernian Hall, the rehabilitation of the grand former Irish Dance Hall. 

Consultation

Candelaria has provided consultation for a number of clients including Youth Producing Change of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, SCM Community Transportation (for Door2Door to the Arts initiative), the Boston Athenaeum, and the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists (for the ¡Merengue! Visual Rhythms/Ritmos Visuales exhibit of works by Dominican Artists). 

Parenting Education

Candelaria has designed and facilitated workshops for parents and professionals for more than 20 years and was one of the original trainers for Families First. She currently works as a Principal Trainer for Parent411 (www.parent-411.com) and is listed as an approved Qualified Trainer for the Massachusetts Office of Early Education & Childcare for Spectrum Management.

Writing/Blogging

Candelaria has had essays, short stories, children’s stories, and poetry published in such publications as Glue magazine, New Words Journal, Sojourner, Roxbury Literary Annual, the Hornbook, the Dictopedia, the Boston Globe, Ebony, Jr., and the School/Library Journal. 
An active blogger, Candelaria is a Contributing Editor to BlogHer.com on mid-life issues (http://www.blogher.com/blog/candelaria-silva) and writes a blog on parenting issues for Parent411 (http://parent411-onparenting.blogspot.com). She also writes about relationships, family, current issues, race and sex in witty, entertaining, poignant and powerful entries on her personal blog (http://blog.candelariasilva.com)

Community Service
Candelaria serves on the boards of:

  • Discover Roxbury
  • Boston Foundation for Architecture
  • Henderson Foundation
  • Lead Boston Advisory Committee (Boston Center for Community & Justice. Member of the Lead Boston Class of 2006)

(She previously served on the boards of her alma mater - Goddard College, Wheelock Family Theare, StageSource: The Greater Boston Theater Alliance, Arts Service Coalition and Roxbury Cultural Network.)

Awards

2006 - Community Service Award from the Boston & Vicinity Club of the National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc.

Community Catalyst Award from Madison Park Development Corporation at their fortieth anniversary gala. 

2006 - 2005 - The Drylongso Award from Community Change

2003 - Top of the Arts Award for Individual Leadership from the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston.

Selected Press

Trading on Local Talent: ACT Roxbury and Madison Park Development Corporation (Boston, MA) featured in The Creative Community Builder’s Handbook:  How to Transform Communities Using Local Assets, Arts & Culture by Tom Burrup, Fieldstone Alliance, 2006.

“Magnificent Six: They do what they can to help” by Vanessa E. Jones, The Boston Globe, Jan. 1, 2005.

“New dawn for a couple & a charming old house: Life at home with Candelaria Silva and Tessil Collins” by Leigh Belanger.  The Boston Globe, Dec. 23, 2004.

“Acting Up: Candelaria Silva and ACT Roxbury use the arts to enliven a long-underserved community” by Tamara Wieder, The Boston Phoenix, Oct. 3, 2003.

To be a force for positive change: An arts/development activist’s vision, work and prayer-life by Warren Bolon, Christian Science Sentinel, August 26, 2002.

Touring Boston to know its children: children’s Museum brings teachers to the neighborhoods by Amy Mednick, The Boston Sunday Globe, July 26, 1992.

“Even parents need support: workshop designed to foster can-do attitude” by Diane Baltozer, The Patriot Ledger, 1989.

 Candelaria Norma Silva-Collins

 

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