About us
October 20, 2020 2025-08-01 9:22About us
Meet the Founder : Professor Peju Layiwola
MasterArtClasses was founded by Professor Peju Layiwola, a pioneering Nigerian artist, educator, and cultural advocate whose passion for African arts and community empowerment has inspired a global learning movement. A specialist in textiles, metalwork, printmaking, and indigenous Nigerian crafts, Professor Layiwola brings over three decades of experience to her work. Her art has been celebrated both locally and internationally, yet her most enduring legacy is her dedication to sharing knowledge and nurturing creativity in others. She has decades of experience teaching art at the University of Benin and later at the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos. In 1994, Layiwola established the Women and Youth Art Foundation —a nonprofit offering free art workshops to women and young people in underserved communities.
The Foundation broke new ground by introducing Nigeria’s first instructional art DVDs in 1998, using art as a tool for economic independence and self-expression. From this grassroots beginning, MasterArtClasses emerged as a modern extension of her vision. Today, it is a vibrant online and offline learning platform offering:
- Virtual Classes in African arts and crafts—learn from anywhere in the world
- Self-paced Courses—flexible programs to suit your schedule
- Studio Workshops in Lagos—immersive, hands-on learning experiences
Improving Lives
Through Learning
Start to success
Teaching and Preserving African Art and Culture
This premium online platform is dedicated to teaching people the indigenous arts of African people, with a special focus on Nigerian arts and crafts.
1
Years of Teaching
Experience
1000
Learners Enrolled in
Masterclasses Courses
50
%
