Akron Filmmaker’s Documentary on Alfred McMoore Featured in Upcoming Museum Exhibition

STOW, Ohio — Local filmmaker Todd V will have his documentary Outside In: The Life and Art of Alfred McMoore featured in an upcoming exhibition at the Akron Art Museum. The film will be shown on rotation during the museum’s presentation of Alfred McMoore: All This Luck in My Head, which runs from September 20, 2025, through February 8, 2026.

Todd, who works at NASA in Cleveland as a video producer, animator, and illustrator, said the project began when his friend Chuck Auerbach approached him during the production of his TV show Arts Quest, which aired on Time Warner’s NEON network. “Chuck reached out to me while I was producing my TV show Arts Quest, which used to air on Time Warner’s NEON network, thinking Alfred’s story would make for an excellent feature,” Todd said. “After we got to talking, I realized this was much more than a ten-minute segment. I wanted to really dig into his story.”

Chuck Auerbach, father of Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, introduced Todd to McMoore’s work. The Black Keys’ name was inspired by a phrase McMoore frequently used.

Wendy Earle of the Akron Art Museum said the film provides an essential layer to the exhibition. “Todd’s documentary is an important component of this exhibition,” Earle said. “It dives into Alfred’s artistic practice and life, with wonderful archival footage and interviews with his friends and supporters. It also contextualizes Alfred’s work within the broader history of Outsider Art, featuring insightful commentary from scholars, including former staff from the Akron Art Museum.”

The documentary has previously been screened in several venues, including as the opening presentation for a Black Keys concert at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas in 2011. Todd said having it now featured at the museum is particularly meaningful. “I’m honored to have this film included in the exhibition,” he said. “This film has a very special place in my heart, and over the years it has had several screenings. Most memorably, it was featured as the ‘opening act’ for a Black Keys concert at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas in 2011. Now, having it on rotation for museum visitors is a wonderful way to introduce Alfred to the city as one of its most prolific artists.”

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