DATE: Sunday, November 9, 1997              TAG: 9711070292

SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 05   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: BEACH PEOPLE 

SOURCE: BY JEWEL BOND, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   78 lines

CURATOR IS ALMOST ALWAYS UP TO SOMETHING FISHY

JOE MALAT IS a busy man who thrives on accomplishments and daily doses of details, decisions and deadlines.

Known as the Outer Banks fishing guide since 1975, Malat, 47, is the author of a popular book on fishing, with 60,000 copies sold to date. He is a fishing columnist and a photographer.

And for the past 10 years he has gained added recognition as the exhibits curator for the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.

``It's a challenge to present information to people, whether it's the visitors to the aquarium or surfcasters,'' Malat said recently from his office at the aquarium. ``I do have a certain amount of creativity, I guess. After all, how many ways can you tell people how to catch a bluefish.''

New challenges await Malat as the aquarium gears up for an expansion of 34,000 square feet, doubling the inside exhibit spaces. Scheduled for completion within two years, the modernistic space will feature interactive computer activities, hands-on projects he will design for children and adults and a new traveling exhibit.

``I really like the variety of things involved in this job,'' Malat said. ``It makes the days go faster. But with the new expansion of the aquarium - well, my outside load will have to cut back.''

Malat, who studied physical oceanography at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla., said he is most proud of the exhibits he and design technician Renee Landry-Ambrose, 35, create.

``We create quality displays. There's a standard we try to maintain,'' Malat said. ``It's important we do the best that we can do. We owe that to our visitors.''

Landry-Ambrose, who has a bachelor's degree in landscaping and a master's in fine arts, said she and Malat usually end up at some point working on projects together - whether it's putting finishing touches on an exhibit - or maybe just for feedback. At other times she might act as his ``gofer.''

``Joe has great visual and technical input where safety of the crowd is concerned,'' Landry-Ambrose said. ``And he likes simplicity. He refines things to simplicity - that's a skill. His ideas, no matter how simple, really work.''

Malat's day starts at 8 a.m. He takes a stroll around the building, checking the appearance of any outside exhibits. All inside exhibits and video equipment need to be in working order. Depending on the number of visitors the day before, minor repairs may need to be done.

Malat makes sure everything is ready with no kinks before the public comes in at 9 a.m. ``And then anything goes,'' he said.

Display ideas come to him from everywhere, Malat said. From the comment cards people fill out, the industry trends on a national level, the local and regional environment issues, or just keeping up with other aquariums.

``I work a typical 40-hour week, Monday through Friday,'' Malat said. ``But the nature of my job requires me to work deadlines. And when I'm building exhibits, enjoying seeing it come together, when there is no deadline, I sometimes stay late to finish.''

Malat says being close to his family - wife Nell, a teacher at Kitty Hawk Elementary School, daughter Asheley, a senior at East Carolina University, and son Andrew, a ``premier'' cook at the Oasis, is the most important thing in his life. And the most personal challenge was caring for his dad during a long battle with Alzheimer's. He credits his father for his strong work ethic.

Malat hasn't had time to cultivate a hobby, although he enjoys photography. But that, too, is job-related, he says. If he had a lot of money, he'd travel. But for the brief time he gets to relax, he enjoys fishing with his wife.

``Catching the biggest and most fish doesn't matter much anymore,'' Malat said. ``Nell and I just enjoy the Outer Banks area. We take a trip to Florida once a year. But mostly, when we have time, we just enjoy the beach here.''

Malat's main focus for the next year will be exhibits for the aquarium's expansion. He will take a little time each morning for decision making, to map out his day, detailing short-term and long-term goals.

``I'll try to stick to the goals I make,'' he said. ``But you know the old cliche: `You don't need longer days - just shorter lists.' Well, my list keeps growing.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW WILSON

Joe Malat, curator of exhibits at the North Carolina Aquarium, has a

knack for presenting old ideas in new and understandable ways.

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