ABOUT
Founders Jeff Heyman and Westeigh met through the 2023 de Young Open, where both had photographs in the exhibition. Their conversations about photography, artists, exhibitions, and a shared desire to see more independent spaces dedicated to photography eventually led to the idea for Frame 1A.
Bringing different backgrounds, perspectives, and instincts to the gallery, Jeff and Westeigh envisioned a space where artists could experiment, explore new ideas, and present work in unexpected ways. Frame 1A is dedicated to showing photography in its many forms, introducing audiences to different perspectives, and encouraging curiosity about what photography can be.
In July 2025, Frame 1A opened the doors at 2500 Central Avenue in Alameda.
THE IDEA BEHIND FRAME 1A
Frame 1A is a small, independent photography space built around the idea that photographs deserve time, attention, and conversation.
Through exhibitions, open calls, Challenge Labs, and occasional experiments, we bring together photographers working in different ways and at different stages of their practice. We're interested in work that sparks curiosity, challenges expectations, and opens up new ways of seeing.
We believe a small space can make room for big ideas. Frame 1A is a place to try things, encounter unfamiliar work, and see where a conversation might lead.
HOW THE NAME BEGAN
First, we're in Suite 1A. That's literally the number above the door.
But the name took on more meaning.
When the space in Alameda became available, Westeigh remembered visiting aircraft carriers at the Alameda Naval Air Station as a child. Her best friend's father served there, and on family days she wandered through the ships' narrow corridors, noticing yellow rectangles marked with numbers and letters. She learned that ships were built around a series of structural frames, and that the numbered markings helped identify locations within the ship using those frame numbers. The idea of frames stayed with her.
Years later, the connection between Alameda's naval history, the frames of a ship, and the frames of a photograph made the name feel especially fitting.
Then Jeff pointed out another connection. In film photography, Frame 1A can refer to the first usable exposure on a roll, where the photographs begin.
That settled it, we had a name.