The push toward making museums a nighttime destination is “part and parcel of museums attempting to reach out to new audiences,” said Bruce J. Altshuler, the director of New York University’s program in museum studies. “It takes different forms in different places, but it’s about being more than just a place in which art is displayed. It’s about becoming a center of activity, a place for congregation, a place for social interaction — in other words, a place where people can have fun.