Loughborough University is home to a rich and varied art collection, including the largest public sculpture collection in the East Midlands. Many works were commissioned or purchased during Stewart Mason's tenure as Director of Education for Leicestershire (1947–1971): he believed that educational spaces were enriched by the presence of challenging works of contemporary art. Other works include paintings and sculptures by current and former students and staff; a fine collection of stained glass; and furniture produced by 'Handicraft' students from the 1930s–1950s, much of it designed by Edward Barnsley. Artists in the collection include Lynn Chadwick, Bridget Riley, Atta Kwami, Willi Soukop, Robert Orchardson, Margaret Traherne, Zaid Salih and Frank Avray Wilson. New works enter the collection each year through the Edward Sharp Prize, which funds the purchases of outstanding pieces from the Creative Arts Degree Show.