The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
2025 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Daniel McInnis
Associate Professor of Photography and Digital Media University of ToledoArtPerrysburg Ohio 43551 United States Home Phone: 9175752066 Website: https://www.danieljamesmcinnis.com/
Bio
Daniel McInnis is a practicing documentary photographer whose primary interest is portraiture. His background is rooted in black-and-white analog photography and color production, often shooting with an 8×10 view camera. In the late 2010s, he switched his primary practice to digital media. Dan’s secondary interests are photographic histories, photojournalism, images of conflict/war, and photographs that focus on labor and late capitalism.
His work has been exhibited internationally and nationally. His work was included as one of seven finalists in the 2016 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. His Elementary portfolio was exhibited in the fall of 2024 at the Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries at Wright State University, in conjunction with FotoFocus, a biannual photography festival in Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus, which includes over 80 venues focusing on lens-based work.
Dan has taught as a professor of both photographic practice and history at Ithaca College, The American University of Dubai, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), School of Visual Arts (SVA), Wittenberg University, and The School of Art at Bowling Green State University.
He is currently Associate Professor of Photography and Digital Media at University of Toledo.
Artist Statement
In 2022, I began a photographic survey of elementary schools in Ohio, documenting teachers and staff, as well as the physical spaces they inhabit.
This long-term project fosters a greater appreciation for the individual sacrifices made by elementary educators, as teachers continue to struggle with what American communities have come to expect: low salaries, long hours, scant resources, and degraded facilities. While elementary spaces are inherently private, this work brings visuality and voice to a typically unseen world where children experience profound developmental growth.
When I meet with teachers, I interview them first, asking them to talk about their career paths and the aspects of their job that are both rewarding and challenging. I photograph each person at their workplace, and sometimes focus on the spaces themselves: classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, and hallways.
Some of the questions we discuss:
- To what extent is the profession of elementary education valued?
- Why are many states facing a nationwide teacher shortage, and what can we do about it?
- What challenges do teachers face in the 21st century classroom (labor, diversity, safety, censorship, etc.)?
- How did the Covid-19 epidemic affect teachers’ outlooks and morale?
- Since American elementary teachers are 89% women and 80% white, what can we do to attract more diversity to the profession?