Don't let the name fool you—there are no cows sculpted from dairy at the BUTTER Fine Art Fair in Indianapolis. Launched in 2021 by creative agency GANGGANG, the annual event (August 31–September 3 this year) features more than 60 Black visual artists from Indiana and around the country. With colorful artwork, thought-provoking panels and curated galleries spread throughout the repurposed Stutz factory complex, the show aims to recontextualize how art by Black people is accessed and appreciated. "The arts present an active way to challenge mindsets about how we live together as people and how we treat each other," says Malina Simone Bacon, GANGGANG cofounder and executive director. "What we hear most is that people feel happy when they are at BUTTER. They feel joy and they talk about feeling love."

Indiana food writer Shelly Westerhausen Worcel's colorful new cookbook, Every Season Is Soup Season, sounds like a gimmick: Each veg-forward recipe comes with inspiration to reinvent leftovers as a completely different dish. But darned if they aren't all clever and delicious! Gruyère, Cauliflower and Potato Soup becomes the "gravy" for biscuits and eggs. Chipotle Cocoa Three-Bean Chili fills next-day empanadas. And if you just want to eat or freeze the extra soup, Worcel has you covered with precise storage tips. On sale September 19 (Chronicle Books, $33). (While you're waiting, try the White Bean Stew with Marinated Radicchio, pictured, and its companion recipe, White Bean and Dill Dip.)

First, a clarification: This photo isn't me. It's Jessica Akemon, aka @MrsJessicaDarling. But she gets people like me, whose weekend projects last months. (The bathroom refresh I began in spring still needs a towel hook and a piece of art.) "My husband, Jeff, and I are the slowest DIY-ers," Akemon says. "We're parents first, and we both have jobs." That relatability drew me to her Instagram, where she chronicles improvements to her Beavercreek, Ohio, home—like building a fireplace to transform this rarely-used dining room. Each endeavor hones carpentry skills she and Jeff first learned from their dads and grandpas. This fall, they're turning their kids' playroom into a library. But when I asked her for an easy, high-impact project, she said to just add trim. "It's so simple," she says. "You don't even need a saw, just handheld miter shears to cut corners." The towel hook can wait.—Joanna Linberg, Contributing Home Editor

When her husband was diagnosed with a serious illness and drew comfort from their family dog, Gayle Hutchens realized the healing power of the human-animal bond. "She then saw Oprah covering a dog assistance program in California and reached out because she wanted to create something similar for Indianapolis," says Ashleigh Coster, executive director of Paws and Think, the nonprofit Hutchens founded in 2001. The organization brings therapy dogs to dozens of community partners and also hosts classes that teach vulnerable youth how to train shelter dogs, a transformative relationship for both teens and animals. Though Hutchens died in 2011, her legacy is now 300 volunteers strong and the largest of its kind in central Indiana. "From health-care facilities and schools to libraries and support groups," Coster says, "our therapy teams extend a helping paw to those in need." 

As part of our Good Neighbors program, highlighting unique Midwest nonprofits and individuals making our communities stronger, Midwest Living has donated $500 to Paws and Think.