Gallery Tours with the Artist Torrance York will be held August 7 at 6 p.m. and August 20 at 2 p.m.

New Canaan artist Torrance York’s photography exhibition, “Torrance York: Semaphore. – A Journey through Parkinson’s” is on display at the Lightburn Gallery, New Canaan Library, New Canaan, CT through August 31, 2024. The exhibit pulls from the artist’s monograph, Semaphore, published with Kerher Verlag in 2022. Gallery Tours with the Artist will be held August 7 at 6 p.m. and August 20 at 2 p.m.

The exhibition explores the artist’s creative journey after a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) nine years ago. Since then, York’s photography has undergone a shift in perspective and an adjustment in her process. She experienced new ways of seeing and began delving into themes that preoccupied her daily existence: imbalance, asymmetry, life cycles. She makes connections between the body and nature, exemplified in her photos of skin against skin or bark peeling off a tree, both displaying remarkable similarities, visually and conceptually. Certain shapes and forms (circles and squares, for example) are amplified and recur in various incarnations. 

Pre-diagnosis, her work was focused predominantly on landscapes, notably her Common Ground series depicting New Canaan’s Irwin and Waveny Parks, and her Road Works series. Over the last few years, her subject matter and technique have undergone a transformation—her road maps becoming mind maps. 

On the one hand, her photographs have provided her with coping mechanisms and, on the other, a way to communicate her challenges and observations to others. The result is an illuminating and inspirational body of work that engages the viewer to perceive mundane yet wondrous objects with a new lens that may be relatable to many. York describes her process thus: “As I look around me, the branches of trees become networks of neurons. Using photography to capture my fears, challenges, and aspirations has facilitated my understanding of the disease and strengthened my hope for the future.”

The exhibition aims to understand York’s personal experience and artistic journey within the context of scientific research on PD and its effect on creativity. Parkinson’s disease is the second most common degenerative neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. Most people understand PD as a condition that affects the motor system and is evident in tremors, stiffness, and compromised mobility. While these are indeed symptoms of PD, the illness is more varied in its manifestations. The underlying pathology of PD comes from a decrease in the brain’s ability to produce dopamine.  While motor difficulties are often the most visible signs of the deficiency in dopamine, modern research reveals that dopamine deficiency has many other effects, and those effects can be quite different for different individuals.  

Of most interest to this exhibit, dopamine deficiency commonly affects the brain’s emotional and motivational states and capabilities. Dopamine is a critical neurochemical in aesthetic experiences and creativity. According to Harvard neuropsychologist David H. Rose, known for his role in developing Universal Design for Learning (UDL), one of the surprising “silver linings” of PD is that it can awaken artistic creativity and a desire for creative endeavour, an “artistic spark” that can result from taking medications to boost dopamine in the treatment of PD. Clinical studies show that these PD patients can become highly motivated and devoted to artistic expression, committing extraordinary time and effort to develop their art. Additionally, some with PD report enhanced creativity before beginning any medication. 

Equally interesting is recent research in the opposite direction: the effect of art on the symptoms of PD.  Many artists have reported that their motor symptoms are significantly reduced or absent when they are fully engaged in their art. Furthermore, researchers have shown that art therapy (through music, dance, visual art, poetry) can be very effective components of PD treatment. In a large epidemiological study, researchers showed that artists are somewhat less likely to develop the symptoms of PD. Scientists are now exploring how engagement with the arts rewires neural circuitry and creates new pathways through the process of neuroplasticity.

The exhibition is curated by Arianne Kolb and Micaela Porta and sponsored by Parkinson’s Body and Mind. At Parkinson’s Body and Mind in New Canaan, Executive Director Elaine Grant says they’re “all about keeping it positive.” Stress can exacerbate symptoms of PD, which may fluctuate dramatically, even from minute to minute. Strengthening the whole person through emotional support, exercise, and spiritual practice has helped many live fully and even thrive with PD. Support groups for people of all ages (people as young as 30 are diagnosed with PD) are safe spaces to share struggles—and also laughter, optimism, and hope. 

In terms of the mind-body connection, a leading scientist on Spirituality, psychologist Dr. Lisa Miller, reveals the tremendously protective benefits that result from awakened, spiritual engagement. Her research demonstrates that the shift in perspective of the spiritually awakened brain unlocks enormous potential for interpersonal connection, creativity and emotional healing. In the spiritual state of awareness, our challenges become an opportunity to tap into our inner knowing and resiliency. Instead of asking, “Why is this happening to me?” we tune into the power of “What is life showing me now?”

About the Artist 

Torrance York, a lens-based artist living in Connecticut, earned a BA from Yale and an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Exhibited nationally and internationally, her work is held in public and private collections. In 2010 she received a Connecticut Artist Fellowship grant. York serves on the Board of the Educational Video Center in NYC where she formerly taught documentary video and is an Artist Guild Member of Silvermine Arts Center. 

In 2022, she published her monograph Semaphore about the shift in her perspective after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Featured in various publications and Semaphore has been awarded in Lenscratch’s 2021 Art & Science Awards, as a Critical Mass 2021 Finalist, and a favorite book of 2022 by the online photography magazine What Will You Remember? York has presented her project at the World Parkinson’s Congress in Barcelona, at the Neurology Department’s Grand Rounds at the University of Virginia Medical School, and to various Parkinson’s support groups. Semaphore has been exhibited in solo shows at the Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University (MA) and at Rick Wester Fine Art in NYC, who represents her work. Her website is www.torranceyork.com.

New Canaan Library hours are Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., (closed Sundays through Labor Day). For more information visit www.newcanaanlibrary.org.