Susan Whitney was born in Dublin, Ireland. When she was three years old her family emigrated to Palgrave, Ontario, and eventually Regina, where she attended undergraduate classes at the University. She also took undergraduate classes in Fine Arts at Sir George Williams in Montreal before spending seven years in Ireland. On her return to Regina, she worked with a public relations firm before becoming director of the Kesik Gallery. She left the Kesik gallery in 1979 to open a private commercial gallery.

The Susan Whitney Gallery Ltd. opened November 22nd, 1979, in an old two-storey house on the edge of downtown Regina. Susan Whitney, who is now sole owner, was President of a group of shareholders. Currently located at 2220 Lorne Street, the mandate of the gallery is to exhibit and sell contemporary art including painting, sculpture, tapestry, photography, furniture and Canadian folk art. It has participated in numerous international art fairs and has represented many prominent Saskatchewan and Western artists, such as Arthur McKay and Ron Bloore of the Regina Five, ceramicists Joe Fafard, Victor Cicansky and David Thauberger, and folk artists Dmytro Stryjek and W.C. McCargar.

Notable exhibitions at the gallery have included the first group show of early Saskatchewan pottery ever assembled, which was bought by the provincial government. Another exhibition entitled Made in Saskatchewan brought together examples of early Saskatchewan furniture, hooked rugs, samplers, tramp art, and contemporary folk art.