“I’ve kind of been wondering, Barnes & Noble has been closed for a while now,” studio art junior Kelly Bartlett said. “I’m curious to see what they’re going to do with it.”

Activities featured a farmers market, children’s activities, local music and presentations by artists.

“The beer is pretty good, too,” said Eunice Chong, a communication and social work senior of the Amber Ale and Oberon from Kalamazoo, Mich. based Bell’s Brewery, Inc., complemented the local food vendors.

The event was held to show that contemporary art, a staple of the museum currently under construction, exists in places outside the walls of an art museum, said Alison Gass, curator of contemporary art with the museum, in a previous interview.

And with MSU’s agricultural roots, officials aimed to incorporate the community into The Land Grant by being both educational and outreach-orientated.

“(The event) engages in looking at what art and sustainability looks like at MSU (and) what are some major issues that we need to hit,” Gass said.

Mike Risk, owner of Risk’s Apiary & Honey House, based in Laingsburg, Mich., joined other farmers market vendors, including the MSU Student Organic Farm, to show off and sell their wares. Risk’s business specializes in producing honey and other beeswax-based products, including candles.

Beekeepers have seen about a 30 percent drop in pollinators, which includes the honey bee, during the past few decades, Risk said. Seeing such a trend — and being obsessed with bees themselves — should be reason enough to use organic and sustainable practices, he said.

“We used to be … preparing for the storm season in May and now, the seasons have changed in a month, everything is happening so much earlier,” Risk said. “If we keep heading in the direction we’re going in this world, I think we’re going to be in trouble.”

The weekend’s event continues to lead up to the scheduled fall opening of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, which was delayed because of glass manufacturing issues. In the meantime, many are glad to see life again at the Barnes & Noble space.

“I’ve been (at MSU) for a while, and it’s always been Barnes & Noble,” Chong said. “I’m excited to see what they do with it and how the museum turns out.”