Context is everything. Very little in art or in history (or in life) happens in isolation, although works of art and events in history have been studied this way. This is especially true of the arts, which are so intrinsically connected to the cultures from which they emerge. This essential interconnectivity was also the premise behind the design of a new yearlong course titled "Contemporary Arts and Culture," which the author created for The Williston Northampton School (Massachusetts), where she is a visual arts teacher. The goal of this class is to impart to students some of the cultural contexts in which contemporary artists work, and to enable them to feel through images, research, field trips, guest speakers, and independent studio projects the texture of the times in which these artists live or lived. Because contemporary art so often blurs the boundaries of multiple artistic disciplines, the course covers developments in all the arts including music, theater, dance, film, and visual art. In this article, the author discusses this course, because it has changed the way that she thinks about teaching teenagers, and it has solidified her belief that the basis of successful education is through human connection and expression. The discusses the class design, projects, and how this class has informed her teaching.