The Augusta Heritage Center is one of West Virginia’s most celebrated and enduring cultural institutions. For more than 50 years, Augusta has been dedicated to preserving, presenting, and passing on the traditional music, dance, craft, and folklore of Appalachia and beyond.
Founded in 1973, Augusta has grown into an internationally recognized home for roots arts education, welcoming generations of artists, students, and cultural travelers to learn directly from master tradition bearers. Each summer, Augusta’s immersive workshops bring hundreds of participants and faculty to Elkins for weeks filled with music, dance, craft, storytelling, and community connection.
A cornerstone of Augusta’s mission is its extensive archive, a living repository of recordings, photographs, oral histories, and rare materials documenting Appalachian cultural traditions and the artists who carry them. This collection serves both scholars and community members, ensuring that priceless cultural memory not only endures, but continues to inform and inspire new generations of tradition bearers.
At its heart, Augusta is about more than preservation; it’s about participation. Through hands-on learning, intergenerational exchange, and celebration of living traditions, Augusta connects people to the creative spirit of Appalachia and the shared cultural heritage that continues to inspire artists across the world.
For inquires about the program please contact: info@augustaartsandculture.org or call 304-637-1209.
Emily Miller
Chief Creative OfficerContact: Emily@augustaartsandculture.org
Emily Miller is the Artistic Director of the Augusta Heritage Center and a professional singer and fiddle player. At Augusta, Emily works with the director to oversee all programming and helps the theme week coordinators to execute a joint artistic vision. She received her BA in Anthropology-Linguistics from Brown University and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Vanderbilt University. In her career as a musician, she has toured with bands such as the Sweetback Sisters, The Starry Mountain Singers, and as a duo with Jesse Milnes, performing multiple times on national radio programs Mountain Stage and A Prairie Home Companion. She has released several albums of traditional and country music including In the Valley (2006), Chicken Ain’t Chicken (2009), Looking for a Fight (2012), Jesse Milnes & Emily Miller: Deep End Sessions (2015) and King of Killing Time (2017).
Eric Armstrong
Chief Operations OfficerContact: Eric@augustaartsandculture.org
Eric Armstrong first came to Augusta as a seasonal employee in 1998 and has remained involved with the organization in one role or another ever since. Along the way, his career has taken him through the arts, brand development, business, technology, and a variety of creative and community-based projects. That broad experience has continued to shape his work at Augusta, from production and programming to operations and long-term projects. Today, Eric serves as Augusta’s Chief Operations Officer, continuing a relationship with the organization that has spanned nearly three decades.
Rosalie Coleman
Office ManagerContact: rosalie.c@augustaartsandculture.org
Rosalie Coleman grew up in the New England traditional music scene, playing fiddle and banjo, and attended Augusta as a student multiple times. She is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, from which she holds a BM in Technology in Music and the Related Arts (TIMARA); her artistic work focuses on connecting traditional and electroacoustic musical practices, and she has released several albums available on Bandcamp. She comes to Augusta Heritage Center after serving as a lead organizer for the student-run Oberlin Folk Fest between 2023 and 2025. Rosalie previously worked as an Office Assistant at Augusta in the summer of 2023 and is excited to be back as Office Manager.
Roman Uhrig
AmeriCorps Employee: Program CoordinatorContact: roman.u@augustaartsandculture.org
Roman is a 2025/26 AmeriCorps Service member who assists Emily Miller (Chief Creative Officer) with responsibilities in artist and instructor communications, social media management and event coordination. Roman moved to Elkins in January 2025 from Norfolk, United Kingdom. He has over a decade of experience in the hospitality sector paving the way into organizing and planning music events across England and Europe with renown Christian music artists. In his most recent role Roman stage managed Augusta’s Summer Program concerts.
Ben Quarles
AmeriCorps Employee: Archival Preservation CoordinatorContact: Ben.Q@augustaartsandculture.org
Ben is a 2025/26 AmeriCorps Service member who is serving as the Augusta Archive Preservation Coordinator.