Live Worms Gallery

Address
1345 Grant Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133 United States Get Directions
Phone 415-263-8959
Website https://www.instagram.com/sflivewormsgallery/

Vibe: Eclectic Art Salon | Rambunctious & Community-Led | Beat Generation Spirit

Live Worms Gallery is a quintessential North Beach institution, an artist‑run collective that channels the neighborhood’s historic, non‑conformist streak. Set on a lively stretch of Grant Avenue, this funky storefront operates more like a community living room than a formal white‑cube space. The work on the walls changes constantly—traditional oil landscapes, textural abstractions, political “peoplescapes,” illustration, collage—but the through line is a sense of experimentation and local voice.
First Friday anchor  
Live Worms is one of the main hubs of the North Beach First Friday Art Crawl, often functioning as a crowded midpoint on the evening’s poetry and gallery circuit. On these nights the space is shoulder‑to‑shoulder with artists, neighbors, and visitors, with jazz combos, DJs, or impromptu performances spilling out onto the sidewalk. It feels less like an opening reception and more like a block party with art on every surface.
Full Moon “Trip Temple”  
In partnership with Professor Seagull’s Smartshop, the gallery hosts monthly Full Moon Trip Temple gatherings—immersive, 21+ evenings built around live music, guided meditations, and collaborative art‑making. The intention is to create a temporary sanctuary for deep connection and open expression, turning the gallery into a kind of urban ritual space.
Eclectic musical residencies  
Even outside of First Fridays and Trip Temples, Live Worms often hums with sound. Depending on the night, you might walk into a rootsy bar band like the 19 Broadway Good Times Band (with Flicka McGurrin), a solo acoustic songwriter, or an avant‑garde jazz trio weaving through the hanging canvases. The music feels integrated into the room rather than bolted on—another layer of creative energy instead of background noise.
Details that define the room
• Artist‑centric model that regularly rents the space for short‑run shows, giving emerging artists a direct line to the public without heavy commissions.
• Founded in the early 2000s and currently stewarded by Elizabeth Ashcroft, with deep ties to North Beach’s Beat and jazz history.
• Name and ethos that emphasize something organic, wriggling, and alive—reflecting the constantly shifting creative spirit of San Francisco.
• Has hosted a wide range of notable locals, from photographers like Dennis Hearne to street artists like Jeremy Fish, while remaining open and accessible to new voices.

Categories: North Beach

Events at this venue

Today

  • Art by John Folan

    Group Art Show
    Professor Seagull's Smartshop and Gallery 1351 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA, United States +1 more

    Pop by Live Worms and Professor Seagull’s Smartshop for the North Beach First Fridays Art walk featuring work by various local artists and featuring works by John Folan. Inside the Smartshop, the gallery walls are covered in psychedelic light green and yellow wallpaper — vibrant, but still perfectly balanced to receive and highlight artwork of...

    Free

  • Group Art Show

    Group Art Show
    Professor Seagull's Smartshop and Gallery 1351 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA, United States +1 more

    Pop by Live Worms and Professor Seagull’s Smartshop for the North Beach First Fridays Art walk featuring work by various local artists. Inside the Smartshop, the gallery walls are covered in psychedelic light green and yellow wallpaper — vibrant, but still perfectly balanced to receive and highlight artwork of all kinds. Rotation is every 1–2...

    Free

  • Creating AS1, Sara Corbett and Aaron Haldiman

    Live Worms Gallery 1345 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Explore the intersection of art and ecological restoration this April as Live Worms Gallery hosts Creating AS1, a collaborative exhibition by full-time artists Sara Corbett and Aaron Haldiman. This showcase moves beyond traditional aesthetics to explore how visual culture can act as a catalyst for a regenerative future. The Artists and Mission Sara Corbett and...

    Free

  • Group Art Show

    Group Art Show
    Professor Seagull's Smartshop and Gallery 1351 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA, United States +1 more

    Pop by Live Worms and Professor Seagull’s Smartshop for the North Beach First Fridays Art walk featuring work by various local artists. Inside the Smartshop, the gallery walls are covered in psychedelic light green and yellow wallpaper — vibrant, but still perfectly balanced to receive and highlight artwork of all kinds. Rotation is every 1–2...

    Free