Rachel Crick has long been fascinated by the intricacies of race as it pertains to American culture. As a Caucasian female she bucked the system and dove headfirst into the male dominated and often times misogynistic inclined world of rap music, co-founding the influential independent publication Flavor in 1992 and overseeing its editorial and publishing operations until its demise in 1997.
It was also during this period that she developed an eye for photography, often lending her unique vision to the subjects who filled the pages of the magazine including such legendary figures of the Hip-Hop community as De La Soul and Busta Rhymes. She continues to photograph artists from this community including John Legend, Swizz Beatz, Atmosphere, Strange Fruit Project and more.
During this same time period she also worked as a College Marketing Representative for Sony Music, furthering her interest in the diversity that reverberates throughout the world of popular culture and music. It is safe to say that her exposure to the unique world of Hip-Hop was instrumental in her quest for a deeper understanding of the socio-political constructs around her. To this end she graduated from Metropolitan State College of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts in Individualized Studies: Social Documentary Photography.
Crick owns and operates Álainn Photography, her own photography business that she started in 2005. Her work has hung in several galleries including: “For Sale” - 611 Gallery, Denver. “Portraits Of Strength” - Flash Gallery, Lakewood, Colorado. “Social Documentary Visual Definitions Of The American West” - Blue Space Gallery, Denver. “Other √: Portraits of Biracial Families and Their Voices” - The Laughing Bean Cafe, Denver. “Illuminations” - The Other Side Arts, Denver. “Iris: One” – The Other Side Arts, Denver.
While the often controversial world of rap music continues to enthrall her, Crick has also focused her lens on such diverse subjects as painters Stanley Whitney and Marina Adams, as well as photo-documenting Katrina evacuees as they arrived in Denver following the disastrous hurricane.
Even though the world of popular music still holds an allure for Crick, she has largely turned her attention to more focused social issues, specifically those related to the intricacies of biracial families. A mother of a biracial child herself, Crick has spent the past two years documenting biracial families in both Denver and Los Angeles in an attempt to better understand how the cultural standards of race are being redefined in the new millennium.