The Reser is proud to partner once again with Converge 45, the Pacific Northwest’s premier citywide contemporary art exhibition, on the theme Here, To you, Now, curated by Lumi Tan. Inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s reflections on impermanence, presence, and the immediacy of lived experience, Here, To you, Now invites audiences to consider how we encounter one another, navigate uncertainty, and make meaning within a rapidly changing world. At The Reser, this conversation unfolds through the resonant exhibition Carnelian by Rome-based American artist, Lex Brown. In Carnelian, Brown creates an immersive, three-channel film experience that blends musical theater, satire, and speculative storytelling. Set within a contemporary landscape shaped by endless information, political polarization, and looming environmental crisis, the work follows a cast of characters grappling with different forms of power—political, technological, and natural. Through original music, poetic narrative, humor, and pathos, Brown examines how we persist, connect, and find meaning in an era of “emergency overload.” Like the carnelian stone itself—a symbol of courage, vitality, and creative action—the work offers a call to remain engaged, imaginative, and resilient in the face of uncertainty. 

As Converge 45 Executive Director Amanda Donnan observes, “What feels especially compelling about Here, To you, Now is the way Lumi has brought together artists whose work meets Portland with real attentiveness. These projects don’t just arrive in the city—they engage its histories, its spaces, and the communities that shape it.” 

Through different materials, perspectives, and artistic languages, Carnelian forms a shared meditation on presence: how we encounter one another, inhabit memory, and sustain connection in the immediacy of the present moment. This thought-provoking exhibition offers its own point of entry, yet creates a larger conversation about attention, community, and the evolving relationship between self and world. 

We invite you to join the conversation. 

For more information about our concurrent exhibition, We Are All Brothers click here.

IMAGE: Still from Carnelian by Lex Brown