Elias Morgan
photographer / bead artist / visual artist
BIOGRAPHY
Iron Day (Elias Morgan) is a 16-year-old emerging artist and storyteller from the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. A proud member of the Loon Clan and a student at Bug O Nay Ge Shig School, Elias also takes college-level courses at Leech Lake Tribal College, where he hopes to continue his education in Liberal Education or Indigenous Science after graduating high school next year.
Elias identifies as a transgender boy (female-to-male) and uses he/him pronouns. His identity and experiences deeply inform his creative work, which centers on Ojibwe cultural preservation, personal storytelling, and community awareness. His artistic practice spans photography, sketching, beadwork, painting, and creative writing, with each form serving as a way to explore his own journey and honor the beauty and complexity of his culture.
From a young age, Elias was surrounded by artmaking. He grew up watching his mother create intricate beadwork, his grandmother sewing ribbon skirts, and his aunt adding her own artistic voice to the family’s growing legacy. Together, they’ve built a small business selling handmade creations at Pow Wows, where Elias fondly remembers dancing in his first fancy shawl regalia—dancing so hard his moccasins would wear thin and need repair after every event.
While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his creative momentum and sense of community, it also became a time of deep personal reflection. During this period, Elias came to fully understand and embrace his identity. Now, he is reconnecting with dance, beadwork, and nature-based inspiration as ways to stay grounded in his Ojibwe heritage and rediscover joy through creation.
As an artist, Elias is motivated by the desire to capture both the beauty and imperfections of people and the natural world. He aims to tell stories that reflect real experiences, raise awareness about issues affecting Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities, and provide a platform for underrepresented voices. Through his lens and his words, Elias hopes to educate, heal, and build understanding across generations.
Qualifications
Elias is a developing photographer and painter with a growing portfolio rooted in cultural storytelling and nature-inspired themes. He brings a strong sense of perspective and emotional depth to his work and is especially drawn to beadwork, florals, and natural materials such as dentalium shells, porcupine quills, and appliqué. His creative foundation continues to expand as he gains more technical experience and reclaims traditional practices through a modern lens.
skills
photography
painting
links
email: info@in-progress.org