‘Art gives me a voice,’ award-winning cartoonist says

HomeByron Center Byron CenterStudent Voices ‘Art gives me a voice,’ award-winning cartoonist says Grad offers commentary on AI via illustration By Alexis Stark August 3, 2026 Recent Byron Center High School graduate Jay Inthammavong will attend Kendall College of Art and Design this fall, with hopes of pursuing a career as an artist (courtesy) Byron Center — For recent Byron Center High School graduate Jay Inthammavong, art has been “a huge part” of his life and helped him develop his voice. “I’ve gone through dark times and been able to express and process those times through art,” he said. “Art gives me a voice.” He said his art teachers in Byron Center have encouraged him since middle school to submit his work to contests like the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. During his senior year, Jay took inspiration from the worldwide conversation surrounding using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate art used for social media, business marketing and personal use. He used that inspiration to create an editorial cartoon titled “Modern Theft.” Editorial cartoon titled ‘Modern Theft,’ illustrated by Byron Center graduate Jay Inthammavong (courtesy) His commentary on the issue via illustration earned the National Silver Medal through the Scholastic Art Awards. Jay said his cartoon came from having “a lot of feelings about AI.” “A lot of people don’t understand that AI does not create anything original,” he said. “It may seem like you never get the same thing twice, but everything that it produces is programmed from other things that it takes from.” He added: “AI art is not art because it takes away the soul of art. Art is not about the final product and using AI takes away the process of creating it. My teacher always said that errors are part of the process. When you look at (AI generated art,) it’s so soulless and that humanity is not there. What makes something valuable is all the time and humanity that goes into it; when you remove that, it becomes empty.” This fall, Jay plans to attend Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design with the goal of strengthening his skills, making connections and pursuing a full-time career as an artist and illustrator. “Illustration challenges me,” he said. “You have to make every pen stroke mean something to tell the story. Even in this comic, every panel matters and you can’t waste any.” To aspiring artists, Jay said: “Never quit. … It doesn’t matter how bad you think your art is or how bad the ‘art block’ will smack you in the face. You keep going and one day you’ll make something and it will matter. Every piece of art matters in some way.” Read More From Byron Center No more tunnel vision: teens help businesses solve real issues Grads contemplate life after high school: ‘We will be fine’ - Sponsorship - Alexis Stark Alexis Stark is a reporter covering Byron Center, Caledonia, Godfrey-Lee, Kenowa Hills and Thornapple Kellogg. She grew up in metro Detroit and her journalism journey brought her west to Grand Rapids via Michigan State University where she covered features and campus news for The State News. She also co-authored three 100-question guides to increase understanding and awareness of various human identities, through the MSU School of Journalism. Following graduation, she worked as a beat reporter for The Ann Arbor News, covering stories on education, community, prison arts and poetry, before finding her calling in education reporting and landing at SNN. Alexis is also the author of a poetry chapbook, “Learning to Sleep in the Middle of the Bed.” LATEST ARTICLES Wyoming With dusters, brooms and teamwork, custodial crew tackles summer cleaning All Districts Building skills that last, from STEM into everything else Cedar Springs Cedar Springs superintendent set to retire in December Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park Save the Date for our 2026 Educator Night Related Articles Building skills that last, from STEM into everything else All Districts Register for free back-to-school shoes through 30-year-old program All Districts No more tunnel vision: teens help businesses solve real issues Kent ISD Load more - Sponsorship - Issues in Education 00:00:56 With alum’s creative engineering, fifth-grader makes music dreams a reality Alexis Stark Thanks to a 3D-printed device and determination, fifth-grader Kendall Heiss is able to play cello alongside her peers, despite being born with a partial arm. Making Headlines He’s a man of many passions — including leadership Riley Kelley A scholarship to a summer camp will help this talented student level up his leadership skills. - Sponsorship - MEDIA PARTNERS SUSTAINING SPONSORS Join these sponsors