cultural desert

cultural desert

Any place that is characterized by having a distinct lack of complexity, vibrancy, vitality, or interest in intellectual and artistic activity. After living in New York City for seven years, this little town is something of a cultural desert by comparison. Once considered a cultural desert, the country is now teeming with new museums, extravagant theater productions, and a truly vibrant and eclectic music scene.
See also: desert
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • desert
  • a little from column A, a little from column B
  • column
  • smell of the lamp
  • fresh-faced
  • in (one's) prime
  • in prime
  • amateur hour
  • an/(one's) ivory tower
  • ivory
References in periodicals archive
There is no art scene, music scene, architecture, antiquities in what is essentially a cultural desert.
"In the early days, many people believed the UAE was a cultural desert and that art here was something that could be bought wholesale.
The "enlightened moderation" of General Musharraf, his dance moves on a stage at Independence Day celebrations, the emerging bands and music scene, the clashes over women running in marathons - none of this could mask the fact that we were born into a cultural desert. And to those few of us who read about the (recent) past, particularly Zia's nightmarish surgery on Pakistani society, it became very clear that the desert was very much manmade
I appeal to all concerned citizens, who might see the connection between health and the arts, as distinct from a cultural desert, to voice their horror at this latest abhorrent proposal.
Come on, Liverpool, we surely can do better and not leave visitors with the impression that we are a cultural desert at New Year.
"The community was like a 'cultural desert' from my point of view.
She rang up London's RISEgallery -- known for transforming the South London borough of Croydon from a cultural desert to a hub of street art -- and asked director Kevin Zuchowski-Morrison to bring his vibrant art scene to Lebanon, not just Beirut.
In this day of increasing confessions of spirituality without religiosity this book will be of enormous help to prevent spirituality that is disaffected from institutional and traditional religion from becoming a wandering in the cultural desert or a pooling of mutual ignorance.
In the name of "reducing the deficit", Tory ministers are reducing vast areas to a cultural desert.
A THINK Tank has been branded thoughtless after claiming a corner of Tyneside is a cultural desert.
At a time when the funding for orchestral concerts has been withdrawn, when the borough organist has been made redundant, when there is talk of museum closures and entrance charges, when the budget for arts development and promotions has been decimated, if we sell glorious works of art from the collections where they feed the soul and provide inspiration, we risk becoming a cultural desert. Although times are hard, we should be making more of what we have - our fine collections, our musical heritage, our culture and traditions.
The place is a cultural desert. Can't see many world class opera company's going there.
As for what the NACC supplies in lifestyle opportunities for families in this cultural desert, well, don't get me started.
She said: "The worry is we may have good schools, we may have education, social services and such, but what we don't want in Denbighshire is a cultural desert, that people give up, they have no aspiration, no idea of culture.
Alessio Mameli branded Britain "a cultural desert" and called for more to be done to help young adults like Leotta.