SECRETARY’S REPORT 215 
plates for a series of booklets to be issued by the Publications Fund 
on the schools of painting represented in the Gallery. 
The publications sales rooms operated by the Publications Fund 
enjoyed their busiest year, serving 184,254 individuals, organizations, 
etc. 
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM 
The program of the Educational Office was carried out under the 
supervision of Dr. Raymond S. Stites, curator in charge of educa- 
tional work, and his staff, who lectured and conducted tours in the 
Gallery on the works of art in its collections. 
The attendance for the general tours, Tours of the Week, and Pic- 
ture of the Week talks totaled 40,532 persons; while that of the audi- 
torium lectures on Sunday afternoon totaled 14,515 persons. 
Tours, lectures, and conferences were arranged by special appoint- 
ment for 340 groups and individuals. The total number of persons 
served in this manner was 11,585, an increase over last year of 3,488 
persons. These special appointments were made for such groups as 
the various governmental agencies, educators (both foreign and 
American), religious groups, Girl Scouts, 4-H Clubs, convention 
groups, and members of the radio and television industry. 
The program for the training of volunteer docents continued, and 
during the fiscal year 1959 special instruction was given to 100 women 
under the general supervision of the curator in charge of educational 
work. By special arrangement with the school systems of the District 
of Columbia and surrounding counties of Maryland and Virginia 
these women conducted tours for 1,546 classes with a total of 40,355 
children—an increase over last year of 7,807 children visiting the Na- 
tional Gallery. 
The staff of the Educational Office delivered 23 lectures in the audi- 
torlum on Sunday afternoons and 24 lectures were given by guest 
speakers. During the month of April and the first two Sundays in 
May, the Eighth Annual Series of the A. W. Mellon Lectures in the 
Fine Arts was delivered by the noted sculptor Naum Gabo, whose 
subject was “A Sculptor’s View of the Fine Arts.” 
The Educational Office continued to circulate the nine sets of travel- 
ing exhibitions to schools, clubs, libraries, and universities throughout 
the country, free of charge except for transportation costs. These 
were viewed by a total of 20,000 persons during the year. Fifteen 
copies of the old National Gallery of Art film “Your National Gallery 
of Art” were borrowed 34 times through distribution centers, and 
the new film “Art in the Western World” was borrowed 26 times by 
local borrowers. 
536608—60——15 
