As a freelance entertainer traveling the road gig-to-gig, when the pandemic and subsequent shutdown happen in March of 2020, I was left jobless, homeless and root-less. I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. "I wonder what America looks like when it's shut down?" I decided to hit the road safely to find out. 17 cities, 8600 miles and 3 weeks later, I had the answer. The pictures taken on that trip have been acquired by the Smithsonian Institution for their archives. The video footage has now been turned into "Empty America" and posted free on YouTube to encourage donations to Covid relief charities. It's a time capsule of a singular unique moment in American history. Hopefully there will be no sequels.
—Joel Bryant