[3] In 1909 she began teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where her brother John was serving as director.

One of her student at the Art Institute was Georgia O'Keeffe[1] Also in 1909 she established, with her friend, the artist Jean Sherwood, the "Holiday House Association" in Boulder, to "conserve the health of tired working women".

In 1921 they expanded into the town of Gold Hill where they converted an hotel into the Blue Bird Lodge.

[3] The Blue Bird Lodge served as a vacation spot for Chicago's working-class women, providing a respite from the city.

[4] In 1923 Vanderpoel and other members of her family bought their own cabin in Gold Hill named "Sunset View".