"Oil, Life and Ecology"
Eva Cockcroft
California National Guard Armory
854 East 7th St.
Assistants- Raymond Jackson, Celia Ko, Kenneth Leach, Alessandra Moctezuma

Displayed on a wall at the National Guard Armory in Long Beach, this mural—a portion of which is show —traces the story of humanity's use of petroleum, reflecting both positive and negative aspects of this history. The National Guard Command in Long Beach and Sacramento—the "community" for this mural approved its design.

A harpooned whale, tied to a three-masted schooner, recalls the use of whale oil for energy prior to the petroleum age. Other images signify the National Guards crucial role in clean-up efforts and the impact of spills on the environment. Petroleum has been the source of life-giving products, including plastics used in medical treatments. In the full mural, this is depicted in an image of open-heart surgery, as well as a woman runner who represents the restored health of the heart patient. If human beings can travel into space, as the mural suggests, they also have the potential to develop the clean energies of the future.