The Leo Politi Garden at Fresno State won two awards Tuesday from the California Garden Clubs, Inc.- -for outstanding use of a small area and landscape architecture.

Designed by Fresno State’s consulting landscape architect, Robert Boro, the garden was nominated and reviewed by three landscape consultants.

“The garden beautifies space that otherwise would just be concrete leading to a door,” said Denise Sciandra, founding president of the Arne Nixon Center.

The garden was created as a tribute to Leo Politi – -a local artist internationally recognized for his children’s illustrations and stories and his long-standing friendship with Arne Nixon, who was a children’s literature professor at Fresno State. In conjunction with the Politi family, ­the garden features reproductions of Politi’s work, including sculptures, mosaic tiles and fountains.

“It was a 10 year labor of love,” Sciandra said.

Because of the extensive cost, $150,000, Sciandra said, the garden was funded entirely by donations. She came up with the idea for the garden when she went to take a tour of Los Angeles with Politi’s family.

“I’m thrilled with the award,” said Jennifer Crow, curator of the Arne Nixon Center. “It’s thrilling to see students enjoy the garden.”

Crow remembered seeing children from the Arne Nixon Center enjoying the garden, and said that it honors the memory of both Politi and Nixon.

“Preschooler’s used to come by and play with the dirt and dip their fingers in the fountain,” Crow said.

Boro, who has worked on campus for the last 30 years, wanted to maximize the dead space between the two buildings that are joined together as part of the library.

“This area was what we call wasted space, because it was only a fire exit,” Boro said. ­“We wanted a space where we could come out and have children’s readings.”

The garden features a seat wall so an entire class can sit in the garden for a discussion or a lecture.

“The first thing I did when they hired me was look at all of Leo Politi’s paintings, drawings and books that he published, and I took all the feelings, elements and ideas from his work and translated them into the garden design,” Boro said.