Americans for the Arts acknowledges with great sadness the loss of former U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont today.  He was the co-founder of the Congressional Arts Caucus, Senate Cultural Caucus, and of the Congressional High School Art Competition, a bi-partisan program that celebrates the talents of local high school students in Congressional districts across America. Senator Jeffords was also the first recipient of the Americans for Arts and The United States Conference of Mayors joint inaugural award for Congressional Arts Leadership in 1997.