When the American Impressionism exhibition opens at the Bermuda National Gallery next week, an army of more than 50 docents (guides) will move quietly, but expertly, into action.

Trained by fellow gallery volunteers, the docents, who come from all backgrounds and walks of life, will be on hand to inform the public on just about every aspect of the latest show -- in this case, a major exhibition loaned and organised for Bermuda by America's oldest art institution, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Entitled `Light, Air and Colour: American Impressionist Paintings', the show, curated by the Academy's Dr. Sylvia Yount and designed by Bermuda's Kendria Ezekiel, represents some of America's leading impressionist painters.

Generally -- and apart from such obvious names as expatriate painters as Whistler and Sargent -- the relatively brief American involvement never competed with the heavyweights in France.

The movement's effect on the world's art in pointing the way to Modernism, however, was profound -- especially in America, where their early embrace of Impressionist ideals paved the way in establishing the US at the centre of the modern art world.

Visitors to the show, whether they are members of the public, or students, will be able to take advantage of the docents' knowledge of each painting and painter, as they view a fascinating selection of works by such artists as Childe Hassam, Cecilia Beaux and William Glackens.

That knowledge, says gallery education co-ordinator Shirley Pearman, doesn't mean that volunteers need an art background: "All we ask is that docents attend the special training sessions and workshops which have been carefully planned for all levels of viewers. With the written material, which is sent out at least a month beforehand, and some `practice' sessions, the docents are given a degree of confidence -- a kind of safety net -- in talking to whatever group may come in. Lots of people have said that through working with different shows, they have developed abilities and talents they never knew they possessed.'' And, she adds, those who have signed up -- some of them joined as volunteers from the very beginning -- include retired people, teachers, mothers, or expatriate wives.

"Some people have full-time jobs and can only give an hour or two each week but we're grateful for any help.'' She points out that Ellie Pilling, who is in charge of all the docents and values her helpers by "more or less keeping them in tissue paper'', is a nurse by profession. "In April, she and Bonnie Dodwell (assistant director) attended the National Docent Symposium in Seattle, which took our professional training programme to another level.'' Emphasising that the Bermuda National Gallery is dedicated to education -- especially the Island's youth -- Mrs. Pearman says her immediate priority is to make teachers and educators in general understand the importance of the visual arts in education.

"A gallery is about more than just showing what is on the walls,'' says Mrs.

Pearman, who, since her retirement as an art teacher this summer, has now taken on the volunteer job of compiling teachers' booklets, complete with back-up material on various shows.

"I think it was the Pop-Art show that caught my eye,'' she recalls. "I gathered material for my students to go with that show -- and I was hooked! I started to design my teaching programme around the shows that followed.'' As these included exhibitions that ranged from the African `Secrecy' show, Desmond Fountain's and Bill Ming's sculptures, The Carib Show to the photographic exhibition devoted to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, this enabled her to embrace many other aspects (history, literature, geography) within the framework of whatever themed show was on view.

Exhibition co-ordinator Peggy Kett says that one of the bonuses of running and attending docent training sessions is what each individual adds to the basic information.

"I never cease to be surprised at the range and quality of people who devote so much time to learning as much as they can about the exhibitions. People are always saying how much they enjoy the workshop sessions -- which must be true, or they wouldn't remain so loyal to the programme,'' says the former lawyer who, like Mrs. Pearman, first became involved with the gallery when she offered her services for the `Secrecy' show. "You can also tell which children have been properly briefed when they come in the gallery. I've been so impressed with the knowledge they have been given by their teachers.'' Mrs. Pearman is now actively working on enlarging the groups of teachers who, it is hoped, will attend future training sessions, to include school principals and general subjects teachers from pre-schoolers to Bermuda College lecturers. "For that reason, I've been compiling material that will be relevant for the various levels involved,'' says Mrs. Pearman who obtained her BFA from Mount Allison University and her masters in art education from New York University.

"I don't think I saw an original work of art by a recognised artist until I went away to college,'' she muses.

"It is wonderful that this is no longer true for children in Bermuda and is really why I was so excited by the concept of the National Gallery. And we're not just talking about children. We have formed a working committee which includes Ruth Thomas (a gallery trustee), Gloria McPhee, Meredith Smith, Peggy and myself. One of the things we are looking at is a list of `seniors' organisations so that they can become more involved. We are also playing with the idea of bringing in some of the Island's youth groups.'' "One of our problems is still the shortage of staff to do all these things,'' says Mrs. Kett.

"We have a lot of volunteers but, because many of them leave the Island for one reason or another, there is also a big turnover of people.'' As the American Impressionism exhibition is a large show, there are more training sessions than usual.

The first workshop will be held at 5.30 p.m. today when Jean Rosenthal will show slides of the actual paintings, discussing details of each.

A special lecture entitled `American Impressionism: A different Pot of Paint', will be given by Dr. Yount on Wednesday, September 24 at 12.30 p.m. and a 5.30 p.m. she will conduct a `walk through' of the exhibition. A repeat of this workshop will be held at 12.30 p.m. on September 25.

Docents are also encouraged to attend a supper /lecture at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club when Dr. Yount will lecture of `From the Real to the ideal: the Philadelphia Art World in the 1880's'. Reservations through the gallery (tel. 295-9428).

Two Teacher Workshops will be held on October 7 and 8 at 4.30 p.m., at which refreshments will be served.

`Light, Air and Colour: American Impressionist Paintings from the Collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts' which opens to the public on September 27, is sponsored by American International Ltd., as part of their 50th anniversary in Bermuda.