Born in Montreal, Quebec, Wright-Cheney studied visual arts at Mount Allison University (1983) and Critical Studies in Education at the University of New Brunswick (2003). She teaches at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. Wright-Cheney won the Strathbutler Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2004 and was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2009. Her artwork is included in the permanent collections of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the New Brunswick Museum, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, and the Canadian government's Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.