The saying "You need to see it to be it" was on full display at a March photo exhibit at San Diego Local 569 that sought to inspire tomorrow's tradeswomen by honoring today's generation.

The "Women at Work" show, billed as an event to highlight the "strength, grit and character of women in today's building trades unions," featured black-and-white images taken by Hollywood Local 45 member Brian Campbell, including nine women from Local 569.

"Being part of the photo exhibit was an honor," said Gaylene Goudreau, a journeyman wireman. "It reminded me that we are stronger than we think and that inspiring more women to join the trades is crucial."

Getting more women into the trades was the impetus behind the exhibit, said Ninth District Political Coordinator Gretchen Newsom.

"Bottom line, more women should become skilled and trained tradespersons," Newsom said. "The present percentage of women in the construction workforce is paltry, and it's evident that women need to see themselves in industries traditionally dominated by men."

Campbell pitched the idea of doing a photoshoot to the Local 569 women's committee, United Sparkies, in April 2022. From there, and with input from Newsom, it grew into a multi-trade event, with a call going out through the San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council that brought in women from the Ironworkers, Sheet Metal Workers, Painters and more.

"Being in the exhibit was especially motivating for me," said Local 569 pre-apprentice Emily Goss. "I'm at the start of my journey in the trades, and seeing myself included in a room of accomplished, capable women with their tools, their stories and their confidence helped confirm for me that I want to be that."

Campbell, who has been doing photography for Local 569 since 2019, said he made a point of photographing the women exactly as he would their male counterparts to normalize seeing women in trades.

"I wanted to highlight the important work that these women are doing, not only on jobsites, but also at creating a welcoming environment for the next generation of women in the building trades," he said.

The event was a huge success, Newsom said, with over 300 people attending. They also got a video welcome message from state Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins.

"We opened the event to the public, and it was great to have so many community members, tradeswomen and tradesmen, elected officials, and young women come together."

Local 569 apprentice Lily Voon said she felt a little shy being photographed at first but was ultimately honored to have been sought out for such an important project.

"I know how much representation matters," Voon said. "I would have loved to see more pictures of tradeswomen when I was younger. Maybe I would have started at an earlier age."

While the event, which doubled as a fundraiser for the United Sparkies, is over, the photo project will live on. Newsom said the California State Building Trades Council is interested in showing a portion of the exhibit at its upcoming Union Women Stronger Together conference. And Campbell said he wants to expand the project.

"My dream for this project is to travel the country with images of women in union trades and then turn it into a book with individual stories from the members," he said. "I think it could be a powerful way to highlight them and tell their stories of obstacles overcome and triumphs hard won."

For the women featured at the event, the experience likely won't be forgotten anytime soon.

"Because of the photo exhibit, people got to see so many incredible women doing extremely cool things that often get overlooked," Voon said. "It made me feel very proud to be an IBEW member."