Dave Riep organized the alumni-curated exhibition Dibul Kouana: A Visual Language for Feminine Prestige at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art. This exhibition explores the visual complexity of beaded aprons known as dibul kouana, or pikuran, which are worn by women and used to promote social status, personal identity, and social ties. This is the first time that these objects have been put on display, and the exhibition is the result of an independent study from 2021. It is on display through December 17, 2023 in the Main and Americas Galleries.

In July, he co-presented a paper entitled “International student collaboration: Transformation for vernacular art and architecture teaching and learning, Free State Province, South Africa” at the UIA World Congress of Architects in Copenhagen, Denmark. The paper was written by Dave and Dr. Gerhard Bosman (University of the Free State, South Africa). The paper is based on our Spring 2022 student collaboration which paired learners from CSU and UFS with the goal of creating a body of research and poster exhibition focusing on earth architecture and mural arts in South Africa. Dave was also invited to deliver a keynote address at the International Conference on Data Management, Digitization and Economic Practices in Preserving & Promoting Cultural Heritage (DEPCH2023), which was hosted by Istanbul Ayden University.

Riep also co-authored a paper entitled “International Student Collaboration: Transformation for Vernacular Art and Architecture Teaching and Learning, Free State Province, South Africa,” which is included in the publication “Design for Resilient Communities: Proceedings of the UIA World Congress of Architects Copenhagen 2023.”