Mitchel Dipzinki
[he|him|his]
Protest Artist/Queer Advocate | Co-Founder/-Facilitator of the Poetics Lab
Phone:
989-590-3851
Email:
Location
Alpena, MI
Personal Statement
Mitchel is a queer artist in NorthEast Michigan who specializes in multi-medium poetry and protest art. He uses his art to engage the community in difficult conversations about identity, inclusivity and bias, and he excels at responding to the needs and current events of his hometown. Mitchel also collaborates closely with local artists and community organizers to reach a wide audience across NE Michigan.
Mitchel's goal is to one day return to college to earn a PhD in Linguistics or English Lit. His primary focus in academia has been and will continue to be minority story telling, linguistic empowerment and advocacy.
Mitchel hopes that through both his art and academic backgrounds, he can empower others to express themselves freely and openly to the world.
Recent Work Experience
09/2022 - Present
07/2021 - Present
01/2021 - Present
RTI Specialist
AMA Educational School District
- Collaborate with teachers and other staff within the schools to develop educational plans uniquely catered to each individual on the case load
- Provide consistent and researched reading intervention programs to students in Kindergarten through Third Grade
- Monitor and document progress of each student to provide accurate impact assessments
Gallery Associate
Art in the Loft
- Communicate with local artists and coordinate the exhibition of their pieces within an art gallery in NorthEast Michigan
- Arrange the gallery floor to best suit events occurring within the space and facilitate a variety of community activities
- Discuss, sell and package art pieces of various mediums and advocate on behalf of artists and their commission prices
Co-Founder/-Facilitator
the Poetics Lab
- Network with community partners to promote the organization's mission and raise funds for community programming
- Organize finances and develop budgets for individual and year-long programs
- Write grants and funding requests catered to identity workshops and arts-based education opportunities
- Facilitate community poetry workshops centered on identity construction and performance while also providing the necessary foundation of skills to write a poem
- Work effectively with a team to create, promote and facilitate a start-up organization and adapt plans according to the needs of that organization
- Emcee public and virtual events in a welcoming and inclusive fashion
Educational Experience and Training
October, 2023 - Present
September, 2015 - May, 2019
Central Michigan University
Non-Profit Management
Certificate Course
University of Michigan
Linguistics
Bachelor of Arts
Linguistic Development, Oppression and Empowerment
- Understand the cognitive development and evolution of language within society and the individual while recognizing how they affect cultural biases and perpetuate oppressive powers
- Research the power of language in the processes of identity construction, world-building and minority empowerment
Positive Representation Within Media
- Facilitate constructive conversations surrounding representations of minority identities within the media, including various mediums of literature, art and film
- Recognize both harmful stereotypes and positive representations present in media and critically analyze how medium, genre and form impact how audience members take in and perceive the information
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training
- Reflect on and discuss biases--both internalized and societal--and their effect on how we as individuals and as a community engage with one another
- Unpack and communicate ideas of privilege and oppression while also showcasing examples of community empowerment
Bystander Intervention Training
- Recognize and intervene during harmful situations in which one is participating as a bystander
- Understand the impact of microaggressions while taking responsibility of the observed situation and checking in with the effected individual(s) afterwards
Community Engagement Training
- Facilitate engaging social and educational activities within residential and academic settings
- Assess the specific needs of a community to better provide unique social and educational opportunities that best support those needs
Social and Psychological Development
- Work with developing individuals to best curate appropriate educational and social opportunities
- Understand the effects of complex societal and cultural pressures and expectations on a developing individual's perception of community, comfort and safety
Community Engagement
November, 2022 - Present
November, 2022
Ongoing
June, 2021 - January 2022
August 3rd, 2021
January, 2019 - March 2020
Monthly Open Mics the Poetics Lab
Virtual/In-Person Themed Open Mic Nights
Banned Book Club
Community Discussion on Banned Books
Flamer by Mike Curato
the Community Chapbook Release the Poetics Lab
Virtual/In-Person Open-Mic Night
August 7th, 2021
August 20th, 2022
August 18th, 2023
Summer Poetry Workshop Series the Poetics Lab
Virtual/In-Person Poetry Workshop and Community Reading
June 7th-12th, 2021
June 6th-11th, 2022
June 12th-17th, 2023
Alpena Board of Education
LGBTQIA+ Advocacy
APS BOE Town Hall
LGBTQIA+ Advocacy
Production Assistant & Puppeteer
FestiFools Studio and Celebration