The National Gallery of Art was conceived and given to the people of the United States by Andrew W. Mellon (1855–1937). Mellon was a financier and art collector from Pittsburgh who came to Washington in 1921 to serve as secretary of the treasury. During his years of public service he came to believe that the United States should have a national art museum equal to those of other great nations.

Education

https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/education.html

Borrow free-loan teaching packets and DVDs or access online lessons, activities, and interactives to bring art to your classroom, home, non-profit tv station, or other learning setting. All materials are free.

Teachers

https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/education/teachers.html

The National Gallery of Art offers a variety of resources and programs to teachers to foster understanding and a lifelong connection to art.

Lessons & Activities

https://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/education/teachers/lessons-activities.html

Organized into thematic units, each grade-level-specific lesson plan focuses on a single work of art and can be executed within one to two class periods. These lessons meet National Art Education Association (NAEA) Visual Arts curriculum standards.