Rivera's mural cycle begins on the east wall, where the origins of human life and of technology are represented. In the center an infant is cradled in the bulb of a plant. Two steel plowshares appear in the lower corners of this panel, which is flanked by female nudes holding fruit and sheaves of wheat.

The child in the plant bulb was referred to as a "germ cell" by Rivera and not only represents life's origin and human dependence on the land but also, by its central position, Rivera's belief that the art museum is the essential organism for the development of the aesthetic culture of the community. The plant takes root in a representation of Michigan's geological strata. The plowshares symbolize agriculture, the first form of industry, and relate to the more advanced automotive technology represented on the north and south walls.

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