Framing a New Perspective: Torrance York’s Creative Journey with Parkinson’s

Torrance York at her Semaphore: A Journey Through Parkinson's exhibit.

For decades, photography has been part of how Torrance York experiences the world around her. Life slows down as she finds meaning in the smallest details and captures an image. In 2015, at the age of 49, her habit of examination grew more personal when she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD). "At first, I was just really scared," she said. "I struggled to determine how I would integrate this life-altering information into my sense of self."

In the years following the diagnosis, Torrance considered how her creative work could reflect this new chapter in her life. By 2019, she was using the camera to explore what having Parkinson's meant for her. "Photography gave me a way to manage and translate what I was going through into something I could see and grow to understand."

She created visual metaphors for her experience with Parkinson's - a branch growing through a fence as a symbol of adaptation, tangram shapes meant to represent asymmetry that inadvertently formed an angel. These images became essential to how she navigated her journey. Like milestones along the way, each new connection with the world around her felt like a discovery.

In 2022, Torrance published Semaphore, a collection that transforms her shift in perspective after the PD diagnosis into images that explore identity, change and the meaning of acceptance. Sharing the work with others deepened its impact - sparking conversations, building understanding of Parkinson's and engaging with a wider community of people affected by the disease.

From the point of her diagnosis, she frequently heard about the valuable resources offered by The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). She was first connected to MJFF when a family member made a donation in her honor, and later through her local Parkinson's support group, where she met others equally committed to advancing research. "The collaborative nature of MJFF struck me, especially their commitment to transparency and the sharing of data," she said. "It's an organization focused on deep impact and ultimately working itself out of a job."

This spirit of openness and connection shapes how Torrance approaches her photography. For her, it is more than a creative outlet; it is how she understands her journey and invites others to see it, too. "It's a generative process," she said. "I feel grateful to keep learning and sharing by creating new work."

Torrance has presented Semaphore at medical schools, Parkinson's conferences, support groups, and art institutions and exhibited Semaphore in museums, libraries, and galleries, including Rick Wester Fine Art, NYC, in Chelsea, which represents her work. Learn more at torranceyork.com where you can also order a copy of the book.

Next, Semaphore will be shown at St. Lawrence University in the exhibit, On Parkinson's: Three Artists' Journeys, from October 20, 2025, to December 11, 2025. Find more information here.

• Jess Cavallaro

  Communications Specialist