Department of Art

Faculty

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 8x10 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.

In 2022, Dan began a photographic survey of elementary schools in the Toledo metropolitan area, documenting both the people – teachers, staff, and administrators – and the physical spaces they inhabit. The 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, his work brings visuality and voice to an often unseen world where children experience profound developmental growth.

Dan’s 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 will be 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.

Daniel McInnis - Elementary

Dan is also an affiliated faculty member of the Jesup Scott Honors College at The University of Toledo.