In past years, teachers without professional training in the arts have often been able to avail themselves of summer institutes that introduced them to specific works of art and followed up with artists in the classroom, performance, or trips to an art museum. But what happens when such support is no longer available and teachers have to function autonomously? Can they remember some basic principles of deciding on a work of music, dance, theater, or visual art? Will they remember the criteria that determines a work that is appropriate for their classroom? Will they remember that one of the great contributions of the arts is their ability to lead one back into the humanities? This article discusses these questions, and concludes with the admonition that perhaps the most important principle is the willingness to take the risks inherent in teaching about the arts. (Contains 4 figures and 7 notes.)